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