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