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