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