;=:¨,¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨,¨:=;
»-¨,,...¨¨ ¨¨...,,¨-»
,¨¨.¨,..¨. .¨..,¨.¨¨,
¨¨¨¨,,¨.., ,..¨,,¨¨¨¨
~,,,¨.,,¨. .¨,,.¨,,,~
-:.,¨..¨¨, 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. ¨¨.,,¨¨-~:
~:,¨,..,., ,.,..,¨,:~
.¨.,,,¨,,. .,,¨,,,.¨.
,,¨.¨.¨,,¨ ¨,,¨.¨.¨,,
,..¨,,¨.., ,..¨,,¨..,
=-,¨.,¨¨,. .,¨¨,.¨,-=
†=~¨¨,¨..¨ ¨..¨,¨¨~=†