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