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