.....^~;*¤ ¤*;~^.....
.¨¨.,,:~/* */~:,,.¨¨.
.,¨¨¨,.,-= =-,.,¨¨¨,.
¨.,,,.,,-= =-,,.,,,.¨
..¨,.¨,,,, ,,,,¨.,¨..
..,.¨,¨¨.. 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. §†:~..,¨,¨
.,.¨,.~~;% %;~~.,¨.,.
,¨¨,,,,,~\ \~,,,,,¨¨,
¨¨....,¨-« «-¨,....¨¨
.,,..,.,¨. .¨,.,..,,.
...,,,,,., ,.,,,,,...
,¨.¨.¨¨¨¨- -¨¨¨¨.¨.¨,