@#£§^~,¨.. ..¨,~^§£#@
####**-:¨, ,¨:-**####
##@£&*;~~¨ ¨~~;*&£@##
#@¶&*/-:., ,.:-/*&¶@#
#@§^==~,,. .,,~==^§@#
¶&*:=:¨,,. 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. ¨..¨.,¨-=*
~,.¨¨,,¨.. ..¨,,¨¨.,~
:¨¨.¨.,,,. .,,,.¨.¨¨:
~,.,.¨,¨,. .,¨,¨.,.,~
*«:,..,¨,¨ ¨,¨,..,:«*
*=«-¨,.,., ,.,.,¨-«=*
£%*~,,,¨¨. .¨¨,,,~*%£