##@£¤%=-~. .~-=%¤£@##
###¤£/=,¨¨ ¨¨,=/£¤###
#@#¤^~,¨,, ,,¨,~^¤#@#
#&@\~.,,,¨ ¨,,,.~\@&#
¤%^--¨..¨¨ ¨¨..¨--^%¤
$/«~...,.¨ statuette ¨.,...~«/$
^~,,¨,¨.¨. .¨.¨,¨,,~^
=:¨,¨¨..¨, @%%@¤&££$&*%*$@£~«««~~~~$$**$%£¤££§¤&£%* ,¨..¨¨,¨:=
^,,,,¨,¨.. %%&$$*&£@ ..¨,¨,,,,^
...,....., ,.....,...
.,,,,,¨.,, 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. ¨.....,^«=
»~.¨,.,¨,, ,,¨,.,¨.~»
:...¨¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨¨...:
,,,¨,,¨.,. .,.¨,,¨,,,
¨,,¨,...,, ,,...,¨,,¨
..¨..¨,¨,. .,¨,¨..¨..
¨.,¨....., ,.....¨,.¨