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