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