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