,,,..«/$## ##$/«..,,,
,¨¨.«*†@¶# #¶@†*«.¨¨,
¨,--\$#£## ##£#$\--,¨
,^»;$¤¶### ###¶¤$;»^,
.,,»^$§¶@# #@¶§$^»,,.
.¨¨~«;=§## statuette ##§=;«~¨¨.
.¨¨.^-**£@ @£**-^.¨¨.
¨,..¨^«:%§ @%@§§$&%§@$%%@¤§~»-~=«»«£%$%¤%@*£%%§@$&£ §%:«^¨..,¨
.,...,.~/† %£$$$&£$§ †/~.,...,.
,¨.,¨,¨~~† †~~¨,¨,.¨,
,...,,¨,,= forests around my childhood home. thick =,,¨,,...,
,.¨.,,,.,, pine arcades that were planted and ,,.,,,.¨.,
..¨.,.¨,¨¨ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¨¨,¨.,.¨..
,¨,¨¨..,.¨ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ¨.,..¨¨,¨,
,¨.,....¨. is dark and moist, the canopy having .¨....,.¨,
.¨,¨¨¨,.,, already soaked up all the sun. ,,.,¨¨¨,¨.
,,.¨...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...¨.,,
.¨,..,.,,, there's a river passing by, from east ,,,.,..,¨.
,,¨.¨,¨,.» to west, getting broader and deeper and ».,¨,¨.¨,,
¨¨¨.,,.:~: slower as it goes. equisetum grow just :~:.,,.¨¨¨
.¨¨,,¨.-*= where the pine hands start to let =*-.¨,,¨¨.
¨,.¨.^«††# through light, horsemint on the rocky #††«^.¨.,¨
,,,¨:=*$#£ 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. £¤%/~-.¨..
.,.,.,-^§§ §§^-,.,.,.
.,¨.,¨,=*$ $*=,¨,.¨,.
¨,¨¨.,,~~= =~~,,.¨¨,¨
,¨..,,,.~~ ~~.,,,..¨,
,,.,,¨,... ...,¨,,.,,
,,,,.¨¨,¨, ,¨,¨¨.,,,,