%;~:¨,¨... ...¨,¨:~;%
£*/~-¨¨,,¨ ¨,,¨¨-~/*£
#£=†~~¨¨.. ..¨¨~~†=£#
#§@^\».¨¨. .¨¨.»\^@§#
##§&%=«,¨¨ ¨¨,«=%&§##
###£§^†-,¨ statuette ¨,-†^§£###
#@&%*/=,,¨ ¨,,=/*%&@#
#@*%/~,¨.¨ §§£@*%*¤@£&£&$£§-«««~~=~%$$&%££%£§$¤$*$% ¨.¨,~/%*@#
@&=;~~¨.,. §@££¤$£¤% .,.¨~~;=&@
$§†»-,,¨.. ..¨,,-»†§$
%/~,.,.¨,, forests around my childhood home. thick ,,¨.,.,~/%
*=~...¨,¨, pine arcades that were planted and ,¨,¨...~=*
»~,¨¨.,,,¨ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¨,,,.¨¨,~»
,.¨..,¨,¨, underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ,¨,¨,..¨.,
¨...,.,¨.. is dark and moist, the canopy having ..¨,.,...¨
-....¨¨.,. already soaked up all the sun. .,.¨¨....-
=-.¨,¨.,¨¨ ¨¨,.¨,¨.-=
^~:.¨,¨,.. there's a river passing by, from east ..,¨,¨.:~^
*^~,¨,¨¨¨. to west, getting broader and deeper and .¨¨¨,¨,~^*
£§\-:,¨,,¨ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¨,,¨,:-\§£
@@%†=,..., where the pine hands start to let ,...,=†%@@
@&£=\«-¨¨. through light, horsemint on the rocky .¨¨-«\=£&@
##@¤$/«^,, river bed. ,,^«/$¤@##
###&@=;-,¨ ¨,-;=@&###
##&%%;»^.¨ : ¨.^»;%%&##
#§&§/~..., ,...~/§&§#
£&§†=.¨... the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ...¨.=†§&£
¤%==.,¨¨., they had been a swampworld with sylvan ,.¨¨,.==%¤
$;~-,,¨,¨. water, stone rings and floating moss. .¨,¨,,-~;$
^»:,.¨,,,. you could've found me wallowing around .,,,¨.,:»^
=:.,¨¨,.,¨ on the southern shores until i got ¨,.,¨¨,.:=
~¨..¨,¨¨¨. bitten. .¨¨¨,¨..¨~
¨¨..,¨.¨.. ..¨.¨,..¨¨
:.,,¨.,,¨. but now i'm further back, on solid .¨,,.¨,,.:
~,,..,.,¨¨ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ¨¨,.,..,,~
^--¨...¨., orange tin radio and a translucent ,.¨...¨--^
*:~..,¨,.. umbrella which i'm sitting on. ..,¨,..~:*
£%\~..,,,¨ ¨,,,..~\%£
¤&$^~^¨,,, † ,,,¨^~^$&¤
#£&§/«-.¨. .¨.-«/§&£#
#@§&^:»,.. somethings moving in the grass. it's ..,»:^&§@#
##@£%%\=.. invisible to my eyes but i can feel ..=\%%£@##
###£^\»-,¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨,-»\^£###
@#§§/~,.,. .,.,~/§§#@
@%=^~,.... the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ....,~^=%@
§*=»-¨.,,. to get up, still looking at the .,,.¨-»=*§
§=~..,,.,¨ direction of sound rather than at my ¨,.,,..~=§
*~~¨,,¨,¨. hands, who are busy putting things in .¨,¨,,¨~~*
».,.¨,.¨¨, my pockets. ,¨¨.,¨.,.»
:,¨,¨...¨, ,¨...¨,¨,:
¨..¨....,, then i run east toward my home. ,,....¨..¨
,,,..¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨..,,,
»^,¨¨,..,, / ,,..,¨¨,^»
^«,.,,,..¨ ¨..,,,.,«^
§*»,,.,.,¨ i am not followed, and slow down in the ¨,.,.,,»*§
%§\»..¨¨,¨ clearing where you at first can spot ¨,¨¨..»\§%
§$=\~:.¨,, the house, not yet really in the ,,¨.:~\=$§
@££*\-~.,¨ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ¨,.~-\*££@
##&*=*«:,. radio (now dented) but also a small .,:«*=*&##
###£%*/~-, clay figure i've never seen before. it ,-~/*%£###
###¤=†»,¨, must have been laying in the wet dirt, ,¨,»†=¤###
#&$†:~^.¨¨ and i must've picked it up with my ¨¨.^~:†$&#
#%**~-.... other belongings. ....-~**%#
£=;«.¨¨,¨, ,¨,¨¨.«;=£
^=--.¨¨¨¨¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨¨¨¨¨.--=^
=-:..¨¨.,¨ on her stomach, feet in the air, ¨,.¨¨..:-=
~,¨¨.¨.,¨. roughly seven centimeters long. it's .¨,.¨.¨¨,~
..,¨.,.,¨, freshly made, not yet completely dried. ,¨,.,.¨,..
,.¨,,¨¨... ...¨¨,,¨.,
,.¨¨...¨., my mom is here now. i ask her for some ,.¨...¨¨.,
«..,,¨,,,. particle board for it to dry on, but .,,,¨,,..«
^~.¨¨,¨,¨. she is worried and wants me to .¨,¨,¨¨.~^
*;»,¨..,¨. throw it away. .¨,..¨,»;*
%^*»-..¨¨, ,¨¨..-»*^%
@*††~-,¨¨. .¨¨,-~††*@
#¤%%:~~¨.. ..¨~~:%%¤#
###%^:».., ,..»:^%###
###£$$*»., ,.»*$$£###
#@#$%^~,¨¨ ¨¨,~^%$#@#