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