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