@&§^=~¨¨,. .,¨¨~=^§&@
@&@$\=-.¨. .¨.-=\$@&@
#@£§==«..¨ ¨..«==§£@#
##£#§††~~, ,~~††§#£##
#@&$^;-:,. .,:-;^$&@#
@¤$=*-,,.¨ 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 ,,¨,~«;*%@
¶#¤$^~,,¨, she is worried and wants me to ,¨,,~^$¤#¶
##@$^†~,., throw it away. ,.,~†^$@##
##£@£$==,, ,,==$£@£##
#¶&%*/~,,¨ ¨,,~/*%&¶#
@¤£%:~..,, ,,..~:%£¤@
@&%*--..,. .,..--*%&@
&§;«^.,.., ,..,.^«;§&
^:»^.¨,..¨ ¨..,¨.^»:^