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