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