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