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