,¨¨.,,..,- -,..,,.¨¨,
¨.¨¨,,,.., ,..,,,¨¨.¨
.¨,.,¨¨¨¨- -¨¨¨¨,.,¨.
¨¨¨¨.,..:~ ~:..,.¨¨¨¨
,¨,,¨¨.^»: :»^.¨¨,,¨,
..¨¨¨.,»*£ 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. ^..¨,,¨,,¨
¨¨¨.¨..,,. .,,..¨.¨¨¨
.,,¨¨.¨¨., ,.¨¨.¨¨,,.
¨¨,¨,,,..« «..,,,¨,¨¨
.¨,.,,.^-= =-^.,,.,¨.
¨,¨,,,-~\$ $\~-,,,¨,¨
..,.¨-~\£§ §£\~-¨.,..