,¨..,«*%&# #&%*«,..¨,
¨.¨.~*£¤@# #@¤£*~.¨.¨
.¨^-*%§#@# #@#§%*-^¨.
¨~=†$@@@## ##@@@$†=~¨
,¨.»*£§@## ##@§£*».¨,
.¨.--§$£@@ statuette @@£$§--.¨.
¨,¨,,«^%&@ @&%^«,,¨,¨
¨,¨..,~*$§ £$¤@%@%@@&%*%¤£*-=~-«»~~$¤£@%%£%%%¤$&£§¤ §$*~,..¨,¨
.,.,.¨^=%£ $&&@$$*$$ £%=^¨.,.,.
.¨.,,.,-»$ $»-,.,,.¨.
,.,¨¨¨,.-= forests around my childhood home. thick =-.,¨¨¨,.,
¨¨,,..¨,., pine arcades that were planted and ,.,¨..,,¨¨
.,,¨¨.¨.¨, forgotten. wild boars roaming ,¨.¨.¨¨,,.
¨,¨¨¨..¨,. underneath, sniffing at the ground. it .,¨..¨¨¨,¨
¨.¨¨....¨. is dark and moist, the canopy having .¨....¨¨.¨
¨,,.¨,¨..¨ already soaked up all the sun. ¨..¨,¨.,,¨
¨,¨,.,,.¨, ,¨.,,.,¨,¨
¨¨,¨,¨¨.¨^ there's a river passing by, from east ^¨.¨¨,¨,¨¨
¨,¨¨,¨.,^~ to west, getting broader and deeper and ~^,.¨,¨¨,¨
,,,,,.,-«* slower as it goes. equisetum grow just *«-,.,,,,,
¨..,¨.:«%£ where the pine hands start to let £%«:.¨,..¨
,,,¨¨^-§£¤ through light, horsemint on the rocky ¤£§-^¨¨,,,
¨¨¨.,«*@#@ river bed. @#@*«,.¨¨¨
...,«†%¤¶# #¶¤%†«,...
,.,-%£@#@# ^ #@#@£%-,.,
¨^«%%@@### ###@@%%«^¨
¨¨~=†£¤#@# the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #@#¤£†=~¨¨
¨¨.,-§%@## they had been a swampworld with sylvan ##@%§-,.¨¨
¨.¨¨:»†@£¶ water, stone rings and floating moss. ¶£@†»:¨¨.¨
,¨,.,,»%@£ you could've found me wallowing around £@%»,,.,¨,
.¨.¨¨¨,-*$ 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. #§%%»-,.¨.
,,¨.¨^-*@@ @@*-^¨.¨,,
,,,¨..,»$% %$»,..¨,,,
,¨..,,.^-† †-^.,,..¨,
.¨¨¨.,,,~~ ~~,,,.¨¨¨.
,.¨,,....: :....,,¨.,
...,.,¨¨,. .,¨¨,.,...