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