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