¨^~*%£#### ####£%*~^¨
,¨~=\§*@## ##@*§\=~¨,
¨.¨~-/%%@# #@%%/-~¨.¨
,.¨.-~/^$& &$^/~-.¨.,
,.¨,¨-~^*% %*^~-¨,¨.,
¨¨¨..¨,~\$ 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. ;-:¨.,,,,,
..¨,¨,,.-~ ~-.,,¨,¨..
..,.,.¨¨,^ ^,¨¨.,.,..
.¨¨,,¨,,,, ,,,,¨,,¨¨.
.¨.,,¨.¨¨. .¨¨.¨,,.¨.
,¨.,.,¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨,.,.¨,
.¨¨,,.¨.¨. .¨.¨.,,¨¨.