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