##¤^^«,,¨. .¨,,«^^¤##
£%%*=-¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨-=*%%£
%$=~~,¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨,~~=$%
%†~,¨¨,.,. .,.,¨¨,~†%
\=,¨¨.¨¨,. .,¨¨.¨¨,=\
-,...,.,., 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 ¨.,.:«;$%§
£££*=~-,.. the house, not yet really in the ..,-~=*£££
@@&&§^«~,, backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ,,~«^§&&@@
#@#££*\~.¨ radio (now dented) but also a small ¨.~\*££#@#
@#&£^=»,¨, clay figure i've never seen before. it ,¨,»=^£&#@
¶@£%:-:,., must have been laying in the wet dirt, ,.,:-:%£@¶
&£§:~^,.., and i must've picked it up with my ,..,^~:§£&
§§;~~.,.¨. other belongings. .¨.,.~~;§§
†^-:...¨,¨ ¨,¨...:-^†
/=~.,¨.,,. it's a statuette of a girl laying naked .,,.¨,.~=/
~^.¨,¨.¨., on her stomach, feet in the air, ,.¨.¨,¨.^~
,..¨,,,.,, roughly seven centimeters long. it's ,,.,,,¨..,
¨.,,,.,..¨ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ¨..,.,,,.¨
..,.¨¨,.,. .,.,¨¨.,..
.,..¨¨¨,., my mom is here now. i ask her for some ,.,¨¨¨..,.
..¨.¨.,¨,¨ particle board for it to dry on, but ¨,¨,.¨.¨..
~:..¨,,,,¨ she is worried and wants me to ¨,,,,¨..:~
;-~,.,,.., throw it away. ,..,,.,~-;
%\«^¨,,,., ,.,,,¨^«\%
@$\=^...¨¨ ¨¨...^=\$@
¤$$*=,¨¨,. .,¨¨,=*$$¤
£#%^\~..,¨ ¨,..~\^%#£
#¶@§^†=,,, ,,,=†^§@¶#
##@@*††-~, ,~-††*@@##