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