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