#@#$%†~,¨¨ ¨¨,~†%$#@#
##£#£††-:¨ ¨:-††£#£##
#@#¤*/«,¨¨ ¨¨,«/*¤#@#
£@%%*-,¨¨, ,¨¨,-*%%@£
¤&*=«.¨... ...¨.«=*&¤
$§^=~.¨.¨¨ statuette ¨¨.¨.~=^§$
%†«:,,.,¨. .¨,.,,:«†%
^~:,.¨.¨.¨ ¤%%%££%%¤$%&*%¤%~»»»»»==&§%@¤%$§%£%&@@@% ¨.¨.¨.,:~^
~,,...¨,.. ¤£%$&*@%£ ..,¨...,,~
,¨.,..,... ...,..,.¨,
¨¨,¨¨¨..,¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨,..¨¨¨,¨¨
,¨.,¨.¨,.¨ pine arcades that were planted and ¨.,¨.¨,.¨,
¨.¨,.....¨ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¨.....,¨.¨
.,.¨¨,¨,.. underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ..,¨,¨¨.,.
»:¨¨,¨,,.¨ is dark and moist, the canopy having ¨.,,¨,¨¨:»
=~,¨.¨.,¨, already soaked up all the sun. ,¨,.¨.¨,~=
††«..,.¨¨. .¨¨.,..«††
&*\~,,¨¨.¨ there's a river passing by, from east ¨.¨¨,,~\*&
&%*†»,¨,,¨ to west, getting broader and deeper and ¨,,¨,»†*%&
@#$*\~..,. 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. ,,¨,.¨,,..
^¨.,,¨¨.., ,..¨¨,,.¨^
=-,,,,,.,, ,,.,,,,,-=
:=.,,¨,,,, ,,,,¨,,.=:
†/=.¨,¨,.. ..,¨,¨.=/†
§^\»^¨,¨,. .,¨,¨^»\^§
@*%=«^,¨., ,.¨,^«=%*@