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