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