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