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