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