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