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