..¨-=*§£@# #@£§*=-¨..
..¨.~~*%&@ @&%*~~.¨..
,¨¨,¨:»$@# #@$»:¨,¨¨,
,¨,¨.,~»^* *^»~,.¨,¨,
.¨,,,,.--% %--.,,,,¨.
¨..,,¨¨.,» 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. #@¤£$»^.,¨
.¨¨¨:«%*@# #@*%«:¨¨¨.
.,,,.,-*%# #%*-,.,,,.
¨¨.,,¨,-§% %§-,¨,,.¨¨
,..¨¨,,:~% %~:,,¨¨..,
¨,,.¨¨¨.~= =~.¨¨¨.,,¨
.¨,¨,¨.¨., ,.¨.¨,¨,¨.