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