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