»^¨.,¨..¨, ,¨..¨,.¨^»
~.,¨¨¨.,,¨ ¨,,.¨¨¨,.~
.,,¨¨.,¨,. .,¨,.¨¨,,.
,..¨,.¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨.,¨..,
~~.¨..,.,. .,.,..¨.~~
/~~,¨,,¨.¨ 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. ,.¨,¨,,,:-
:¨¨.¨,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,¨.¨¨:
¨¨,¨¨¨,¨¨. .¨¨,¨¨¨,¨¨
,¨¨,,.,¨.. ..¨,.,,¨¨,
«:,..,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,..,:«
*«:..,..,¨ ¨,..,..:«*
^=~,...,,. .,,...,~=^