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