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