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