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