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