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