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