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