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