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