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