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