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