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