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