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