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