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