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