@^*»~,,,,. .,,,,~»*^@
%=»^,,,.,. .,.,,,^»=%
;~,¨¨¨.¨., ,.¨.¨¨¨,~;
~-.,,.¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨.,,.-~
.,,,.,,¨.. ..¨,,.,,,.
¨....¨..¨, 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. ,,¨--/%$#¶
#£@£*†»^., ,.^»†*£@£#
##@&£^†~:. .:~†^£&@##
##¤¤%\~^,¨ ¨,^~\%¤¤##
@#$†/~-... ...-~/†$#@
&£*\~:..,¨ ¨,..:~\*£&
%†/~.¨,..¨ ¨..,¨.~/†%