##@#£§/»., ,.»/§£#@##
#@@£†=-~.. ..~-=†£@@#
@¤@§;=^¨,. .,¨^=;§@¤@
@§§=~,¨,.¨ ¨.,¨,~=§§@
§^\~,.,¨,¨ ¨,¨,.,~\^§
$*«:¨.¨¨¨¨ statuette ¨¨¨¨.¨:«*$
:«^¨¨¨.¨., ,.¨.¨¨¨^«:
~~,.....¨, *@*%$$%§&&%*£*%$-~»=~~~=@*££§$%%&£¤%§$£§ ,¨.....,~~
^.¨¨.¨,.¨. &$$£$*££* .¨.,¨.¨¨.^
,,.¨,....¨ ¨....,¨.,,
,,¨,¨,¨,,, forests around my childhood home. thick ,,,¨,¨,¨,,
»-¨,¨...¨. pine arcades that were planted and .¨...¨,¨-»
*-,,,,,,¨¨ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¨¨,,,,,,-*
=\~,¨,¨¨.¨ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ¨.¨¨,¨,~\=
¤†=--,,¨¨. is dark and moist, the canopy having .¨¨,,--=†¤
¤£^;-.¨¨¨. already soaked up all the sun. .¨¨¨.-;^£¤
#&@*/~^,., ,.,^~/*@&#
##¤@*=»,,, there's a river passing by, from east ,,,»=*@¤##
##@¤$%†~:¨ 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. .,-†*%&@##
#¶£&%^=~¨, ,¨~=^%&£¶#
¶§@*\~,... ...,~\*@§¶
&%^=«,.¨.¨ ¨.¨.,«=^%&
&*†~-¨,¨,. .,¨,¨-~†*&
==-^¨.,,.. ..,,.¨^-==
\«:.,.,,¨¨ ¨¨,,.,.:«\