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