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