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