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