#£¤¤=\~,,. .,,~\=¤¤£#
###£%**~^¨ ¨^~**%£###
###$**=-.. ..-=**$###
£§§†\~.¨,¨ ¨,¨.~\†§§£
@£††=-¨.,¨ ¨,.¨-=††£@
*††~,,.,¨¨ 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 ,¨,¨.^-^**
¤$$=~-.¨.¨ particle board for it to dry on, but ¨.¨.-~=$$¤
@&$§\«,¨.¨ she is worried and wants me to ¨.¨,«\§$&@
#¶&&$=-,,¨ throw it away. ¨,,-=$&&¶#
##¶£%=†-,, ,,-†=%£¶##
#¶@¤*:=^,¨ ¨,^=:*¤@¶#
#&$==~~... ...~~==$&#
&@*^»,..,¨ ¨,..,»^*@&
%%^--..... .....--^%%
=^»~,...¨¨ ¨¨...,~»^=