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