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