^†=:..¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨..:=†^
\~^.¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨.^~\
»,¨,¨,,¨¨. .¨¨,,¨,¨,»
:...,¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨,...:
¨,¨...,,,, ,,,,...¨,¨
,.¨.,¨¨,.¨ 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 ..¨.,~-/^§
@$%/~^...¨ throw it away. ¨...^~/%$@
#£%%^»,.,, ,,.,»^%%£#
#£§£*=-,,¨ ¨,,-=*£§£#
##££¤^^~., ,.~^^¤££##
#£@@$;-.¨¨ ¨¨.-;$@@£#
¶&$*;~,.., ,..,~;*$&¶
£§§:=^¨.,. .,.¨^=:§§£