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