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