#@&^/=:..¨ ¨..:=/^&@#
@@^†--.,,. .,,.--†^@@
§^†~,¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨,~†^§
$\=^¨,..¨. .¨..,¨^=\$
/=,¨,¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨,¨,=/
~~¨,.¨.,,¨ statuette ¨,,.¨.,¨~~
~....,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,....~
,¨.,.,,,¨¨ ¤$&@$££@§$%%¤&$£~=»=~~=»$%$§£¤§%£%§%@@&$ ¨¨,,,.,.¨,
,.,,...¨., &@@&£$£§$ ,.¨...,,.,
=.,¨¨,,,., ,.,,,¨¨,.=
/~~.¨..¨¨¨ 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. .,.:~\=&##
£@*\~.,.,¨ ¨,.,.~\*@£
¤$=~,,.¨¨. .¨¨.,,~=$¤
$\~-¨,¨,,, ,,,¨,¨-~\$
^~~..¨,¨¨, ,¨¨,¨..~~^
»^,...,.,¨ ¨,.,...,^»
,,.,.,¨,.¨ ¨.,¨,.,.,,