%%^-^,..¨¨ ¨¨..,^-^%%
@£==~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~==£@
#@£*†~:,., ,.,:~†*£@#
###£*;~... ...~;*£###
##@¶¤*†--. .--†*¤¶@##
#@@§%/~~¨. 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. ,,,-~*$$£#
@%=;~,..,, ,,..,~;=%@
%%^=,¨,.,. it's a statuette of a girl laying naked .,.,¨,=^%%
§^~.¨,..¨. on her stomach, feet in the air, .¨..,¨.~^§
*«-..,,... roughly seven centimeters long. it's ...,,..-«*
~-¨,.,,.¨. freshly made, not yet completely dried. .¨.,,.,¨-~
;-^,,,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,,,^-;
=*«^,¨.,¨¨ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ¨¨,.¨,^«*=
¤%;-.,.¨.¨ particle board for it to dry on, but ¨.¨.,.-;%¤
£%*;»..,,, she is worried and wants me to ,,,..»;*%£
@@*^;«:,¨¨ throw it away. ¨¨,:«;^*@@
#@#£$\»,,. .,,»\$£#@#
###@£=†=,, ,,=†=£@###
##¶@*\«... ...«\*@¶##
#£$$^--¨.. ..¨--^$$£#
#@*^»^..,, ,,..^»^*@#
$†^~-.,,.¨ ¨.,,.-~^†$