;~-.¨¨.,¨, ,¨,.¨¨.-~;
*;«-¨.,¨¨. .¨¨,.¨-«;*
@*^-^¨¨¨., ,.¨¨¨^-^*@
#§§/~:¨.¨. .¨.¨:~/§§#
#£§£*«.¨.. ..¨.«*£§£#
##@£$;=.,, statuette ,,.=;$£@##
###¶¤§\~~¨ ¨~~\§¤¶###
##¶&$\=~,¨ %£§££@%*@£¤$@$§@»---~»~-£*£%%%£¤&%&%%$@§ ¨,~=\$&¶##
@##§:~-,., &£££%¤$%¤ ,.,-~:§##@
#£%;«-.,.. ..,.-«;%£#
§*/=,.,.., forests around my childhood home. thick ,..,.,=/*§
§^»,¨.¨,¨¨ pine arcades that were planted and ¨¨,¨.¨,»^§
=~,¨¨¨.,¨, forgotten. wild boars roaming ,¨,.¨¨¨,~=
-~,.,,,¨¨. underneath, sniffing at the ground. it .¨¨,,,.,~-
:.¨,¨,.,.¨ is dark and moist, the canopy having ¨.,.,¨,¨.:
.¨,....¨¨. already soaked up all the sun. .¨¨....,¨.
.¨,..,..,. .,..,..,¨.
.,,¨.¨,,,¨ there's a river passing by, from east ¨,,,¨.¨,,.
,,,,¨..,,, to west, getting broader and deeper and ,,,..¨,,,,
,.,.¨¨,,.. slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ..,,¨¨.,.,
,,¨..,,¨.. where the pine hands start to let ..¨,,..¨,,
.,...¨¨¨.. through light, horsemint on the rocky ..¨¨¨...,.
,,,,,,,,¨, river bed. ,¨,,,,,,,,
-,,,,.,¨¨. .¨¨,.,,,,-
^-,..,,.,, † ,,.,,..,-^
£†«.,...¨¨ ¨¨...,.«†£
&$\-,,,,.¨ 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. ¨....¨.-«\
$\--¨,,... ...,,¨--\$
££\-,,¨.¨. .¨.¨,,-\££
#§$^«^¨,., ,.,¨^«^$§#
#@§£=-,,¨, ,¨,,-=£§@#
##¶£%\~,,, ,,,~\%£¶##
###£§&*«,, ,,«*&§£###