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