%:=,¨.,.,. .,.,.¨,=:%
*~,,,..,¨. .¨,..,,,~*
«~.¨,,.,¨. .¨,.,,¨.~«
-,.¨,...¨¨ ¨¨...,¨.,-
¨,,.,,,¨¨. .¨¨,,,.,,¨
¨.,.¨,,¨,, 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. .¨...,,,..
,,.¨,.,.,. .,.,.,¨.,,
..,¨.¨.,., ,.,.¨.¨,..
^¨..¨.,... ...,.¨..¨^
~:¨..¨,.¨¨ ¨¨.,¨..¨:~
:~:,.,¨,,. .,,¨,.,:~:
=\«~,¨.¨¨, ,¨¨.¨,~«\=