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