##££=†~^¨¨ ¨¨^~†=££##
#&$**=,¨., ,.¨,=**$&#
#§$;-^,¨.. ..¨,^-;$§#
@§:-^¨.,,¨ ¨,,.¨^-:§@
**~.¨.,¨,. .,¨,.¨.~**
/-^.¨,¨..¨ 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. ,,^~/*§&##
##@#£†^-:, ,:-^†£#@##
##§&=†=^.¨ ; ¨.^=†=&§##
#££$\«,¨,. .,¨,«\$££#
££†;~,.,.¨ i am not followed, and slow down in the ¨.,.,~;†££
%=†--,..¨. clearing where you at first can spot .¨..,--†=%
%†=-,.,¨¨, the house, not yet really in the ,¨¨,.,-=†%
:-.¨.,¨,¨¨ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ¨¨,¨,.¨.-:
-^,.¨,.¨¨¨ radio (now dented) but also a small ¨¨¨.,¨.,^-
~,¨,,¨.¨,¨ clay figure i've never seen before. it ¨,¨.¨,,¨,~
,....¨¨¨.¨ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¨.¨¨¨....,
,,,¨,¨¨,¨. and i must've picked it up with my .¨,¨¨,¨,,,
¨.¨¨¨.,... other belongings. ...,.¨¨¨.¨
,¨,,,¨¨.¨. .¨.¨¨,,,¨,
,¨,..¨¨,¨¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨¨,¨¨..,¨,
.¨,,,....¨ on her stomach, feet in the air, ¨....,,,¨.
¨.¨,,¨¨,.¨ roughly seven centimeters long. it's ¨.,¨¨,,¨.¨
,,.¨..¨,,¨ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ¨,,¨..¨.,,
...¨,.¨,,¨ ¨,,¨.,¨...
:¨¨.,,¨,., my mom is here now. i ask her for some ,.,¨,,.¨¨:
=,¨.¨,,,.¨ particle board for it to dry on, but ¨.,,,¨.¨,=
:-..¨..¨., she is worried and wants me to ,.¨..¨..-:
^^-:,,,.¨. throw it away. .¨.,,,:-^^
&=*=-¨¨... ...¨¨-=*=&
@*%:~,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,~:%*@
@@$*/«,,¨, ,¨,,«/*$@@
###£§:-~,¨ ¨,~-:§£###
####§%\»^¨ ¨^»\%§####
##§@††-:.¨ ¨.:-††@§##