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