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