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