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