¤@$==.,¨¨. .¨¨,.==$@¤
@%==~.¨,,¨ ¨,,¨.~==%@
*^~^,,¨.,. .,.¨,,^~^*
;»:.¨,¨¨,. .,¨¨,¨.:»;
-,¨.¨.,.,¨ ¨,.,.¨.¨,-
.¨,.,.,,.¨ 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. ¨...--**££
¤*;»~¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨~»;*¤
†^»,¨¨,..¨ ¨..,¨¨,»^†
^»^,...,.¨ ¨.,...,^»^
=,.¨..¨¨., ,.¨¨..¨.,=
^,¨..¨,,., ,.,,¨..¨,^
¨¨,¨,,¨¨.. ..¨¨,,¨,¨¨