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