#@#&*$==~, ,~==$*&#@#
@##%=/»,., ,.,»/=%##@
@£@*=».¨¨, ,¨¨.»=*@£@
§@§/~~¨¨., ,.¨¨~~/§@§
&%†«:,,... ...,,:«†%&
$†~-¨,¨¨.¨ statuette ¨.¨¨,¨-~†$
^»:..¨..., ,...¨..:»^
~.¨,,.¨¨¨. *%@$@*£%££¤%*%$&=«~~«~«~¤@£§%¤§£§$£@&¤§$ .¨¨¨.,,¨.~
;~:,,¨,,,¨ $@%¤£$%%& ¨,,,¨,,:~;
*^»~¨¨¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨¨¨~»^*
$$:~~..¨¨. forests around my childhood home. thick .¨¨..~~:$$
&@=/-,.¨¨, 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 ¨.-«*%£@##
#¤£$*-,,¨¨ throw it away. ¨¨,,-*$£¤#
¤%*:»^,..¨ ¨..,^»:*%¤
§*/«,.,.., ,..,.,«/*§
†^».¨..,,, ,,,..¨.»^†
;«-¨,,.,,. .,,.,,¨-«;
«:.,,...¨¨ ¨¨...,,.:«
/~^¨,,¨¨.. ..¨¨,,¨^~/