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