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