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