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