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