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