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