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