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