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