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