@@§£$\«~,. .,~«\$£§@@
#@#§%*†~.. ..~†*%§#@#
#£§@$*=.¨, ,¨.=*$@§£#
¶@£=†«,..¨ ¨..,«†=£@¶
¤&*†«:,.¨, ,¨.,:«†*&¤
$%;=..¨.,¨ statuette ¨,.¨..=;%$
*/«,.,¨.,. .,.¨,.,«/*
*=,¨..,,., £%*¤$¤@$**%$%$¤%»«~=»»~~$$*%&$@§£*$¤$%¤£ ,.,,..¨,=*
-,¨,,,,¨¨. §£$£&&$@$ .¨¨,,,,¨,-
^»-¨.¨..¨. .¨..¨.¨-»^
†*«^¨..¨.. 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 ¨-»*%%&£##
#@£$*=-^¨¨ throw it away. ¨¨^-=*$£@#
##$†*«-.¨¨ ¨¨.-«*†$##
#@*/-~,,.. ..,,~-/*@#
¤$:«.¨.,¨. .¨,.¨.«:$¤
§/~..,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,..~/§
:~...¨.¨.. ..¨.¨...~:
»:.,¨.,,,¨ ¨,,,.¨,.:»