##@@&£\~,, ,,~\£&@@##
##@&$;»-,. .,-»;$&@##
##@¤*-:¨,, ,,¨:-*¤@##
@&@\»,¨..¨ ¨..¨,»\@&@
@$*~:¨,,¨¨ ¨¨,,¨:~*$@
$^«-.¨,¨.¨ statuette ¨.¨,¨.-«^$
=--,¨¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨¨,--=
«^¨,¨.,,¨. *%$$£§£¤£@%$%$$&=«»=-~»~%&*@¤£$%$@$£$%£* .¨,,.¨,¨^«
*-,.¨¨¨,,, *$§*$%¤£¤ ,,,¨¨¨.,-*
$^=~..,... ...,..~=^$
¤$*«-¨¨¨,, forests around my childhood home. thick ,,¨¨¨-«*$¤
@&%;~.,¨.¨ 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. ,,.^»^$&##
##$/--¨,,. .,,¨--/$##
@%†=.¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨.=†%@
£;~~,¨.¨.. ..¨.¨,~~;£
:-.,¨.¨,¨. .¨,¨.¨,.-:
-~,..¨,¨,¨ ¨,¨,¨..,~-
:=:..¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨..:=: