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