¨,,.-»=&&¶ ¶&&=»-.,,¨
...¨¨,-\£# #£\-,¨¨...
¨,,.¨¨~~:@ @:~~¨¨.,,¨
,.,¨,¨,,=* *=,,¨,¨,.,
..¨..¨.¨~~ ~~¨.¨..¨..
.,.¨,.,.¨, 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 $:-~¨,¨.¨,
....¨¨¨,«* backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my *«,¨¨¨....
.,,,..¨.^« radio (now dented) but also a small «^.¨..,,,.
,¨¨,.¨.,,^ clay figure i've never seen before. it ^,,.¨.,¨¨,
,,¨..¨.¨,, must have been laying in the wet dirt, ,,¨.¨..¨,,
¨,¨.¨¨¨¨¨^ and i must've picked it up with my ^¨¨¨¨¨.¨,¨
¨¨¨¨,...:« other belongings. «:...,¨¨¨¨
¨,¨.,,¨,»= =»,¨,,.¨,¨
,¨¨,¨.:-†£ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked £†-:.¨,¨¨,
¨.,,,~~;*¤ on her stomach, feet in the air, ¤*;~~,,,.¨
,,,,~~^§&¶ roughly seven centimeters long. it's ¶&§^~~,,,,
¨.,,»*£@#@ freshly made, not yet completely dried. @#@£*»,,.¨
.¨:=:%£@## ##@£%:=:¨.
,.-\&@@### my mom is here now. i ask her for some ###@@&\-.,
,¨,~\£§£## particle board for it to dry on, but ##£§£\~,¨,
¨¨.,~\%£@@ she is worried and wants me to @@£%\~,.¨¨
.¨.,^»/@£@ throw it away. @£@/»^,.¨.
¨...,,«*&@ @&*«,,...¨
.,,¨,,-~/$ $/~-,,¨,,.
¨,.¨,¨¨~»; ;»~¨¨,¨.,¨
..¨,.¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨.,¨..
¨¨.,..,,., ,.,,..,.¨¨
,.¨...¨,.¨ ¨.,¨...¨.,