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