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