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