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