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