#@#¤£*-,.¨ ¨.,-*£¤#@#
####@£§=., ,.=§£@####
#@@¤§=~:.¨ ¨.:~=§¤@@#
@#@*%~:,.¨ ¨.,:~%*@#@
@@$%«~..,. .,..~«%$@@
&$$~,.,¨.¨ statuette ¨.¨,.,~$$&
§§~.,,,¨¨, ,¨¨,,,.~§§
=»,.¨¨,.,, £*$$££§$%%$$%£§*«~»-~=-«%$$££*£*¤*$&@£¤* ,,.,¨¨.,»=
»:,¨,¨.,,. $£$%$£¤$@ .,,.¨,¨,:»
^¨.,..¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨..,.¨^
..,¨..,.,, forests around my childhood home. thick ,,.,..¨,..
.¨,.¨,¨¨,, pine arcades that were planted and ,,¨¨,¨.,¨.
,.,¨,,.,¨¨ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¨¨,.,,¨,.,
.¨.,¨.,¨,. underneath, sniffing at the ground. it .,¨,.¨,.¨.
=-.,¨,.,,, is dark and moist, the canopy having ,,,.,¨,.-=
*»,¨..¨¨., already soaked up all the sun. ,.¨¨..¨,»*
£=-,.¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨.,-=£
§£*=-¨.¨,. there's a river passing by, from east .,¨.¨-=*£§
£#§=-~,,,. to west, getting broader and deeper and .,,,~-=§#£
##£$=«^¨¨, slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ,¨¨^«=$£##
#@@§$$~:,. 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. ¨.,¨,.,,.¨
-,¨¨¨.,.,, ,,.,.¨¨¨,-
»:,,,¨.¨¨, ,¨¨.¨,,,:»
†-^,..¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨..,^-†
$=--,,,,¨, ,¨,,,,--=$
§$†»:,¨,.. ..,¨,:»†$§
#§*^~^.¨., ,.¨.^~^*§#