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