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