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