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