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