¨¨¨¨,.«*@£ £@*«.,¨¨¨¨
¨.¨,¨¨~»*@ @*»~¨¨,¨.¨
,,..,¨¨^=* *=^¨¨,..,,
,¨...¨..,» »,..¨...¨,
,,.¨¨¨,,=* *=,,¨¨¨.,,
,¨¨¨.¨~~=£ 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. $~:¨,.,¨.,
.,,¨.,¨,-~ ~-,¨,.¨,,.
..,¨,..,»* *»,..,¨,..
¨,,.¨¨^~%¤ ¤%~^¨¨.,,¨
,¨,.,:»*£# #£*»:,.,¨,
.,,..~*¤£@ @£¤*~..,,.
¨,¨:=%§@#@ @#@§%=:¨,¨