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