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