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