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