#@&¤$\«^,. .,^«\$¤&@#
##¶¤*%†~:, ,:~†%*¤¶##
##¤¤%†«-,¨ ¨,-«†%¤¤##
@§£*:«:¨,, ,,¨:«:*£§@
££$\~.¨..¨ ¨..¨.~\$££
@$/=,..¨,, statuette ,,¨..,=/$@
%;-^,¨..,, ,,..¨,^-;%
/»~,¨,.¨.¨ ¤§%§££%%@£%£%§&£=-«-~««~&$%¤£%*@%§*£%%%% ¨.¨.,¨,~»/
=..¨,¨¨,,¨ ¤@$$*$£$¤ ¨,,¨¨,¨..=
-,,¨,¨.... ....¨,¨,,-
.,¨..,,¨,¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨,¨,,..¨,.
,,.¨,.¨¨,¨ pine arcades that were planted and ¨,¨¨.,¨.,,
¨¨.,.,¨¨,¨ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¨,¨¨,.,.¨¨
,,¨,¨¨¨¨,, underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ,,¨¨¨¨,¨,,
¨¨,.,¨,.¨, is dark and moist, the canopy having ,¨.,¨,.,¨¨
,.,,¨¨.,.¨ already soaked up all the sun. ¨.,.¨¨,,.,
.¨,,¨..,,. .,,..¨,,¨.
..,.,.,.¨. there's a river passing by, from east .¨.,.,.,..
=^.,¨,,¨.. to west, getting broader and deeper and ..¨,,¨,.^=
/~~,,,¨,¨. slower as it goes. equisetum grow just .¨,¨,,,~~/
%;~,.¨...¨ where the pine hands start to let ¨...¨.,~;%
%**«^,.,,. through light, horsemint on the rocky .,,.,^«**%
£$†=~.¨.¨¨ river bed. ¨¨.¨.~=†$£
@£*†=«^,¨, ,¨,^«=†*£@
#@&@§\~~,. / .,~~\§@&@#
###§§%/»,¨ ¨,»/%§§###
#@£*$;-:.. the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ..:-;$*£@#
#&$*:-.¨,¨ they had been a swampworld with sylvan ¨,¨.-:*$&#
§§*^~:.,¨, water, stone rings and floating moss. ,¨,.:~^*§§
$$*«^¨..., 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. ¨.-»†*%###
##£#%$;«:. .:«;$%#£##
##§*§==..¨ ¨..==§*§##
#@%%*»:.¨. .¨.:»*%%@#
¤$^:~-,,,. .,,,-~:^$¤
&%†»~..,,. .,,..~»†%&
%==.¨.¨.,¨ ¨,.¨.¨.==%