¤@^;«~.¨,. .,¨.~«;^@¤
$=^~,.¨.¨. .¨.¨.,~^=$
$†~.,,,,¨. .¨,,,,.~†$
*»,.¨.,,¨, ,¨,,.¨.,»*
**--...,,. .,,...--**
*===,,...¨ 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 ,,,:»^%£@@
¤$**«..,,, throw it away. ,,,..«**$¤
£%\«.,¨¨., ,.¨¨,.«\%£
§*~,..¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨..,~*§
:»^.,,.... ....,,.^»:
$\~-.,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,.-~\$
@*;~.¨..¨¨ ¨¨..¨.~;*@
¤%*^~,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,~^*%¤