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