.¨¨¨¨,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,¨¨¨¨.
..,¨..,¨.¨ ¨.¨,..¨,..
¨¨,..¨,¨., ,.¨,¨..,¨¨
,¨¨,.,¨¨^~ ~^¨¨,.,¨¨,
¨...,¨,,-^ ^-,,¨,...¨
,,¨,¨.~~^$ 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. .,.¨,,¨.,,
¨¨¨,.¨,,,, ,,,,¨.,¨¨¨
,,¨.¨,¨,¨. .¨,¨,¨.¨,,
,,..,¨¨¨., ,.¨¨¨,..,,
.¨,..¨..,. .,..¨..,¨.
¨¨¨¨,.,.¨¨ ¨¨.,.,¨¨¨¨
,,¨,¨.,¨,, ,,¨,.¨,¨,,