£&%†^~:.¨¨ ¨¨.:~^†%&£
##¤*%*-,.. ..,-*%*¤##
#@@#&=;»-, ,-»;=&#@@#
#£¤$*;».¨, ,¨.»;*$¤£#
@&¤*;-.,¨, ,¨,.-;*¤&@
££$/~:.,.¨ statuette ¨.,.:~/$££
¤*\~,¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨,~\*¤
††-,.,,¨¨, £%§$§&££$&$&@*%%«-~===~~££$$£*¤%%§£££@££ ,¨¨,,.,-††
;~,,,.¨¨,¨ §¤$*&$@%* ¨,¨¨.,,,~;
-,,¨,,.... ....,,¨,,-
^.¨¨.,..¨¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨¨..,.¨¨.^
.¨..,¨..¨¨ pine arcades that were planted and ¨¨..¨,..¨.
.....¨¨.¨. forgotten. wild boars roaming .¨.¨¨.....
¨.¨¨,.,,,. underneath, sniffing at the ground. it .,,,.,¨¨.¨
~¨,¨,¨..¨¨ is dark and moist, the canopy having ¨¨..¨,¨,¨~
».,,¨,.,.. already soaked up all the sun. ..,.,¨,,.»
:-,¨,.¨.,. .,.¨.,¨,-:
^\=.¨.,,¨. there's a river passing by, from east .¨,,.¨.=\^
@%=-..,¨.. to west, getting broader and deeper and ..¨,..-=%@
§&†=-,.¨,. slower as it goes. equisetum grow just .,¨.,-=†&§
£&*=:~-¨.. where the pine hands start to let ..¨-~:=*&£
@£#%*;-,,¨ through light, horsemint on the rocky ¨,,-;*%#£@
##@#$$/~~. 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. ¨,,,.¨.,.¨
¨,¨,.¨¨.,. .,.¨¨.,¨,¨
:,..¨..,,¨ ¨,,..¨..,:
»-¨,,,,,¨, ,¨,,,,,¨-»
\»^,¨,..,. .,..,¨,^»\
*/«-,¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨,-«/*
%*/--¨¨,.. ..,¨¨--/*%