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