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