,.¨,.,«*£& &£*«,.,¨.,
.,¨¨~»/*¤@ @¤*/»~¨¨,.
..¨,«*$§@# #@§$*«,¨..
¨,~-\*#### ####*\-~,¨
¨.»:*¤¶@## ##@¶¤*:».¨
.¨^~=$&@@# statuette #@@&$=~^¨.
,,¨:»^%§£# #£§%^»:¨,,
,¨¨,~~\££# %$&@%$§¤&¤@££%£*=~~~~~-»$§%@$&£$£¤¤§*§£¤ #££\~~,¨¨,
.,,¨..==££ §$&$$£$£% ££==..¨,,.
¨...¨.^~/$ $/~^.¨...¨
,¨.,¨¨,-~; forests around my childhood home. thick ;~-,¨¨,.¨,
.,,¨,.,~†* pine arcades that were planted and *†~,.,¨,,.
¨¨,...-/*§ forgotten. wild boars roaming §*/-...,¨¨
,.,¨~-^§@¶ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ¶@§^-~¨,.,
.¨,,»^&§¶# is dark and moist, the canopy having #¶§&^»,,¨.
..-=:*&£@# already soaked up all the sun. #@£&*:=-..
,.~/§§¶### ###¶§§/~.,
..-»=%£### there's a river passing by, from east ###£%=»-..
,¨.,«†$&## 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. @£\=,,.¨.,
.....~\%&@ @&%\~.....
,,.~~=£&#@ @#&£=~~.,,
¨,,=^*§@@# #@@§*^=,,¨
,-~/@§#### ####§@/~-,
¨..»^§§#@# #@#§§^»..¨
¨,¨,~†§¤## ##¤§†~,¨,¨