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