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