%%/«,.¨..¨ ¨..¨.,«/%%
*†»,.,¨¨,, ,,¨¨,.,»†*
/~:.¨,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,¨.:~/
»^,.,,¨.¨. .¨.¨,,.,^»
...,,....¨ ¨....,,...
,,.¨..¨.,, 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. ¨,¨¨¨,~;§¤
§\«.,.¨,.. ..,¨.,.«\§
==,,¨¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨¨,,==
~,,¨.¨.¨¨, ,¨¨.¨.¨,,~
-.¨.,¨,,.¨ ¨.,,¨,.¨.-
¨.¨,..¨,,¨ ¨,,¨..,¨.¨
:..¨,,¨¨,. .,¨¨,,¨..: