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