....¨,=:%¤ ¤%:=,¨....
¨,.,,.,»=$ $=»,.,,.,¨
,,.,,¨..=^ ^=..¨,,.,,
¨¨..,,,,.= =.,,,,..¨¨
.¨,¨,,.,¨. .¨,.,,¨,¨.
,.¨..¨,.¨¨ statuette ¨¨.,¨..¨.,
¨,.¨.¨..., ,...¨.¨.,¨
.,.,.,.¨., *%§&%@*%§$%£$££$-=~«~==~@$£$*£¤£$*$§£&$$ ,.¨.,.,.,.
¨,.¨.,¨,¨. §£&§£%&%§ .¨,¨,.¨.,¨
.¨,.¨....¨ ¨....¨.,¨.
¨¨¨..¨.,.- forests around my childhood home. thick -.,.¨..¨¨¨
,..,..¨.^» pine arcades that were planted and »^.¨..,..,
¨.¨.,¨..»* forgotten. wild boars roaming *»..¨,.¨.¨
¨¨,..¨~~:† underneath, sniffing at the ground. it †:~~¨..,¨¨
¨,,,¨:«^%$ is dark and moist, the canopy having $%^«:¨,,,¨
..¨,~»\%@# already soaked up all the sun. #@%\»~,¨..
,,¨.-;§££# #££§;-.¨,,
¨,.»:§££## there's a river passing by, from east ##££§:».,¨
,--\$§#### to west, getting broader and deeper and ####§$\--,
..:~††¤@@# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #@@¤††~:..
¨,¨-«/%$## where the pine hands start to let ##$%/«-¨,¨
¨¨.¨.-\§¤# through light, horsemint on the rocky #¤§\-.¨.¨¨
,¨..,,=^=% river bed. %=^=,,..¨,
¨,¨.,,.~;$ $;~.,,.¨,¨
.¨¨.¨..--\ ^ \--..¨.¨¨.
,¨¨¨¨.¨.,- -,.¨.¨¨¨¨,
.¨¨¨..¨.,. the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight .,.¨..¨¨¨.
¨¨,,¨...¨, they had been a swampworld with sylvan ,¨...¨,,¨¨
,,,.,.¨,,¨ water, stone rings and floating moss. ¨,,¨.,.,,,
,,,.,,.¨.¨ you could've found me wallowing around ¨.¨.,,.,,,
.¨¨.,¨,.¨, on the southern shores until i got ,¨.,¨,.¨¨.
¨,...¨,,¨¨ bitten. ¨¨,,¨...,¨
,.¨.¨,,,., ,.,,,¨.¨.,
,¨..,,..-= but now i'm further back, on solid =-..,,..¨,
¨.,,,,..-^ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ^-..,,,,.¨
¨..,,,.»:% orange tin radio and a translucent %:».,,,..¨
,¨.,¨,~\†% umbrella which i'm sitting on. %†\~,¨,.¨,
..¨.:~*§¤@ @¤§*~:.¨..
..¨~=:$$#@ / @#$$:=~¨..
,¨,~:^@### ###@^:~,¨,
,^=*%£#### 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. ,¨¨.,,,.¨¨
.¨...,¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨,...¨.
¨¨¨,.,¨¨¨. .¨¨¨,.,¨¨¨
..¨..¨,¨.. ..¨,¨..¨..
..¨¨,,,,.~ ~.,,,,¨¨..
¨,,,..,,,~ ~,,,..,,,¨
,,,,,¨,~~= =~~,¨,,,,,