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