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