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