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