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