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