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