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