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