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