#£§$^\=:,. .,:=\^$§£#
##@£*%:~~, ,~~:%*£@##
#¶§$^=»-,. .,-»=^$§¶#
#§$§=-,,¨, ,¨,,-=§$§#
££*:-:..¨, ,¨..:-:*££
$%\~^,.¨., statuette ,.¨.,^~\%$
%†=..¨,,.¨ ¨.,,¨..=†%
==:,¨.¨.¨. *&$£$§%&$§§££$@*-=--»»~~%&&$¤*&£%%$£%%$§ .¨.¨.¨,:==
~~,,,,¨.¨. £$£$£%¤¤$ .¨.¨,,,,~~
,,¨¨,.,¨., ,.¨,.,¨¨,,
.,,,¨¨.,,¨ 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 ,..,.~;*%¤
&$\=~¨,.,, clay figure i've never seen before. it ,,.,¨~=\$&
†;-,.¨.,.. must have been laying in the wet dirt, ..,.¨.,-;†
/~~¨.,.... and i must've picked it up with my ....,.¨~~/
«:,,,¨.¨,. other belongings. .,¨.¨,,,:«
-.,,,,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,,,,.-
.¨,,...¨,, it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ,,¨...,,¨.
-¨.¨¨¨,¨., on her stomach, feet in the air, ,.¨,¨¨¨.¨-
«..¨¨,¨.,, roughly seven centimeters long. it's ,,.¨,¨¨..«
=«,..,¨¨¨¨ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ¨¨¨¨,..,«=
=\=~...,,, ,,,...~=\=
£%^«^.¨,,. my mom is here now. i ask her for some .,,¨.^«^%£
&%%†-:,,¨. particle board for it to dry on, but .¨,,:-†%%&
¶@£*:=.,,, she is worried and wants me to ,,,.=:*£@¶
#¶@¤%/~^¨, throw it away. ,¨^~/%¤@¶#
###£§**«,. .,«**§£###
##¤%*/~~,. .,~~/*%¤##
££$*:~^,,¨ ¨,,^~:*$££
#£==«~,.,. .,.,~«==£#
$†\-:¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨:-\†$
*/«^..¨¨,. .,¨¨..^«/*