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