##¶¤&%^~~, ,~~^%&¤¶##
#@£*$^--¨. .¨--^$*£@#
@#£$†~,¨,. .,¨,~†$£#@
#¤$/».¨.¨. .¨.¨.»/$¤#
£^/«,..¨¨. .¨¨..,«/^£
$*«,.¨.¨,¨ statuette ¨,¨.¨.,«*$
/=:.¨¨¨.., ,..¨¨¨.:=/
-,,¨¨¨.... £*@%¤§$£@@¤$£$£¤»~«=«««~@%$@§£§&%*$@%£%& ....¨¨¨,,-
^=~,.¨¨¨¨, $&§¤$§£$% ,¨¨¨¨.,~=^
%*=-.,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,.-=*%
$=*»,..... forests around my childhood home. thick .....,»*=$
&&§=~,.¨¨. 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. .¨.~=†=&&@
@£%^»,...¨ ¨...,»^%£@
*=/«:.,,,¨ ¨,,,.:«/=*
§†~~¨..,.. ..,..¨~~†§
*-:¨.¨,¨,. .,¨,¨.¨:-*
«-,,.,.,.. ..,.,.,,-«
^«:¨,.¨.¨, ,¨.¨.,¨:«^