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