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