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