£¤$/=,¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨,=/$¤£
§†/=:...¨, ,¨...:=/†§
†^-,¨¨..,. .,..¨¨,-^†
==.¨¨¨.,.. ..,.¨¨¨.==
--¨¨..,¨,. .,¨,..¨¨--
,,,¨¨,.,.. 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. .,¨,-=\§%@
$=:~^¨.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.¨^~:=$
$:«,.,,¨¨. .¨¨,,.,«:$
:~:¨,¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨,¨:~:
-,¨..¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨..¨,-
-,,¨.,.¨.. ..¨.,.¨,,-
¨.¨¨..,,,. .,,,..¨¨.¨