#@@#%§*~^¨ ¨^~*§%#@@#
#£¤$^^-^.. ..^-^^$¤£#
#¤%*;~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~;*%¤#
&§=^~,,¨,. .,¨,,~^=§&
%*/~~¨,¨,. .,¨,¨~~/*%
§==^¨,¨.¨. 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 ¨.¨¨.«\%¤#
#@£$;»^.¨, particle board for it to dry on, but ,¨.^»;$£@#
#@#&$/~,¨. she is worried and wants me to .¨,~/$&#@#
##@@%$†~~. throw it away. .~~†$%@@##
#£&%^^=,,. .,,=^^%&£#
£@§%^=^¨,, ,,¨^=^%§@£
@$^=«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«=^$@
%=/-~,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,~-/=%
%^~..¨.¨¨. .¨¨.¨..~^%
/»-.¨,,... ...,,¨.-»/