/«:,¨¨,,¨¨ ¨¨,,¨¨,:«/
«:,.¨¨¨,,¨ ¨,,¨¨¨.,:«
~¨,,.¨¨.¨. .¨.¨¨.,,¨~
.¨..¨¨,,¨. .¨,,¨¨..¨.
¨.¨..,¨,.. ..,¨,..¨.¨
,¨,.,¨,,¨¨ 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. ¨.¨,,..¨.¨
¨,¨,¨¨.,., ,.,.¨¨,¨,¨
,¨.¨.,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,.¨.¨,
~~,.¨.,,.¨ ¨.,,.¨.,~~
^~..,,,¨.. ..¨,,,..~^
%/~^¨,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,¨^~/%
$††»^..¨.¨ ¨.¨..^»††$