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