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