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