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