¨,«$%@¶### ###¶@%$«,¨
,¨.~%*£@## ##@£*%~.¨,
,¨.,-^$§@@ @@§$^-,.¨,
,¨.¨-«^&£@ @£&^«-¨.¨,
¨,¨,..«*§£ £§*«..,¨,¨
,.¨.,¨^~^% 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 #§£$~.¨,¨¨
.,,^-†¤&@# particle board for it to dry on, but #@&¤†-^,,.
.¨-~=&@#@# she is worried and wants me to #@#@&=~-¨.
¨,~†§§@### throw it away. ###@§§†~,¨
¨¨~~§$#@## ##@#$§~~¨¨
¨,,.»%%#¶@ @¶#%%».,,¨
,¨¨¨,~§£@@ @@£§~,¨¨¨,
.,¨¨,,-§$# #$§-,,¨¨,.
¨,¨,..^=†£ £†=^..,¨,¨
,.¨.¨.,~«$ $«~,.¨.¨.,