###£@*;-,¨ ¨,-;*@£###
#£¤&%*~:., ,.:~*%&¤£#
@#£$*~-.,¨ ¨,.-~*$£#@
&£$†«,,¨.. ..¨,,«†$£&
£%/~,..¨.¨ ¨.¨..,~/%£
^=«,,,¨.¨¨ 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. ¨¨,.¨.,,.:
-,¨,.¨..¨. .¨..¨.,¨,-
=~..,.,,.¨ ¨.,,.,..~=
%†«^.¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨.^«†%
$%:~:,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,:~:%$
#%*^-,..¨, ,¨..,-^*%#
#£*=:»~¨.¨ ¨.¨~»:=*£#