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