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