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