@@%§^~~,.¨ ¨.,~~^§%@@
¤§%/--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--/%§¤
§%*»^¨..., ,...¨^»*%§
^†=,,¨.¨,. .,¨.¨,,=†^
/~,¨.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.¨,~/
=,.,¨..,,¨ 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. ..¨,¨¨.,¨.
,.,¨,¨,,¨¨ ¨¨,,¨,¨,.,
,,,¨,,..,, ,,..,,¨,,,
,¨.¨,.¨.,, ,,.¨.,¨.¨,
¨,,.¨¨¨,.. ..,¨¨¨.,,¨
.,¨,.¨¨.,, ,,.¨¨.,¨,.
.,,,.,,¨.¨ ¨.¨,,.,,,.