¨~~;§@#### ####@§;~~¨
..,~*=%£@# #@£%=*~,..
..,,-:$$§# #§$$:-,,..
.,¨¨,«\%%& &%%\«,¨¨,.
,,¨,.~»:§§ §§:»~.,¨,,
...,..:»/† 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, ###£$*/=,.
..~~*%§£## and i must've picked it up with my ##£§%*~~..
..,-==%%§# other belongings. #§%%==-,..
,¨,,,»=†§& &§†=»,,,¨,
......»;^% it's a statuette of a girl laying naked %^;»......
,.¨.,,.~*= on her stomach, feet in the air, =*~.,,.¨.,
¨¨¨...,^«* roughly seven centimeters long. it's *«^,...¨¨¨
...¨,,.¨~~ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ~~¨.,,¨...
.,¨¨¨¨.,,, ,,,.¨¨¨¨,.
,.¨¨¨.,,¨. my mom is here now. i ask her for some .¨,,.¨¨¨.,
,¨..,,,.,, particle board for it to dry on, but ,,.,,,..¨,
,.¨..¨,.¨. she is worried and wants me to .¨.,¨..¨.,
,,,¨...¨., throw it away. ,.¨...¨,,,
¨,¨.¨¨.¨,~ ~,¨.¨¨.¨,¨
¨.,.,¨..-= =-..¨,.,.¨
¨,,¨¨¨.-/$ $/-.¨¨¨,,¨
¨¨¨.¨,~/%* *%/~,¨.¨¨¨
..¨..-/*$£ £$*/-..¨..
,¨¨~-*†$#@ @#$†*-~¨¨,