##%**«,... ...,«**%##
@£#$=*«:.¨ ¨.:«*=$#£@
#@@#%=*~-, ,-~*=%#@@#
@#£§*†~,¨. .¨,~†*§£#@
¶&@§;~~¨¨. .¨¨~~;§@&¶
§¤†/=,..¨¨ 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 ,¨,...,==^
%$*~-¨.¨,¨ particle board for it to dry on, but ¨,¨.¨-~*$%
§%$†=^¨.¨. she is worried and wants me to .¨.¨^=†$%§
#£$%*-,¨,¨ throw it away. ¨,¨,-*%$£#
@¶@@=;~^,, ,,^~;=@@¶@
###§&*†~^, ,^~†*&§###
@@#£*†~,¨¨ ¨¨,~†*£#@@
#@$*\=,¨,. .,¨,=\*$@#
&£%^»:.¨,. .,¨.:»^%£&
$§*»^.¨.,, ,,.¨.^»*§$