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