¨,-\=*&@## ##@&*=\-,¨
¨,.~=%¤#£# #£#¤%=~.,¨
.,,^-^*$&@ @&$*^-^,,.
,¨¨,.~\*£# #£*\~.,¨¨,
¨..¨,.«/** **/«.,¨..¨
,¨.,¨¨^=/= 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. #§$*\-.,,.
..~=;%$¤#@ @#¤$%;=~..
¨:«;$&¤### / ###¤&$;«:¨
.¨.»*$&@@# #@@&$*».¨.
¨,¨.~*§*&@ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight @&*§*~.¨,¨
¨¨.,:«\=@# they had been a swampworld with sylvan #@=\«:,.¨¨
¨,,,.^~:§% water, stone rings and floating moss. %§:~^.,,,¨
¨,¨.¨,:«^* you could've found me wallowing around *^«:,¨.¨,¨
¨¨¨,.,.~=* on the southern shores until i got *=~.,.,¨¨¨
.,..,¨,.:~ bitten. ~:.,¨,..,.
,¨,.¨¨,,.^ ^.,,¨¨.,¨,
,,.¨,,¨,,. but now i'm further back, on solid .,,¨,,¨.,,
¨¨,¨¨¨¨.¨¨ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ¨¨.¨¨¨¨,¨¨
,,...,¨,,. orange tin radio and a translucent .,,¨,...,,
,¨¨..,.¨.¨ umbrella which i'm sitting on. ¨.¨.,..¨¨,
¨..,¨¨.,¨¨ ¨¨,.¨¨,..¨
.¨.¨.¨¨,,¨ † ¨,,¨¨.¨.¨.
¨...,,,,,. .,,,,,...¨
¨.,¨¨.¨.,, somethings moving in the grass. it's ,,.¨.¨¨,.¨
.,,.,¨...» invisible to my eyes but i can feel »...¨,.,,.
¨¨¨.,,.-~/ through the ground just how large it is. /~-.,,.¨¨¨
,.¨.,.~«^= =^«~.,.¨.,
..¨..:=†=% the soil is muddy. i slip when trying %=†=:..¨..
,,,,:~/=*£ to get up, still looking at the £*=/~:,,,,
¨,.-«*%%@# direction of sound rather than at my #@%%*«-.,¨
¨¨~-/*&¤#@ hands, who are busy putting things in @#¤&*/-~¨¨
,.«=^£&£@# my pockets. #@£&£^=«.,
.¨,~;§$¤@# #@¤$§;~,¨.
,¨¨,-^*¤§# then i run east toward my home. #§¤*^-,¨¨,
,.¨.-«^*££ ££*^«-.¨.,
,,.,,^»:^§ † §^:»^,,.,,
¨,,..¨~-*% %*-~¨..,,¨
.,,.,.,^»\ i am not followed, and slow down in the \»^,.,.,,.
..,,,.,¨,~ clearing where you at first can spot ~,¨,.,,,..
¨..,...¨,. the house, not yet really in the .,¨...,..¨
¨¨,.,¨¨.,¨ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ¨,.¨¨,.,¨¨
.,,..,.,.¨ radio (now dented) but also a small ¨.,.,..,,.
,..¨¨¨¨,.¨ clay figure i've never seen before. it ¨.,¨¨¨¨..,
,¨,.¨,,¨¨. must have been laying in the wet dirt, .¨¨,,¨.,¨,
¨,.¨,.¨¨,¨ and i must've picked it up with my ¨,¨¨.,¨.,¨
..¨,¨¨¨,.. other belongings. ..,¨¨¨,¨..
.¨¨,.,,¨.¨ ¨.¨,,.,¨¨.
,,¨.¨,¨,,: it's a statuette of a girl laying naked :,,¨,¨.¨,,
¨.,,,¨¨,,~ on her stomach, feet in the air, ~,,¨¨,,,.¨
¨,...¨,,»; roughly seven centimeters long. it's ;»,,¨...,¨
..¨,.¨:~*% freshly made, not yet completely dried. %*~:¨.,¨..
,,¨,¨~~^=& &=^~~¨,¨,,
..,,^»;*%¤ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ¤%*;»^,,..
¨.,~«^§%¤@ particle board for it to dry on, but @¤%§^«~,.¨
¨¨~~*§§&@# she is worried and wants me to #@&§§*~~¨¨
,:»/§§#### throw it away. ####§§/»:,
¨¨,~†^%&@# #@&%^†~,¨¨
,.,^»:%¤£¶ ¶£¤%:»^,.,
,¨,.^«\=$@ @$=\«^.,¨,
.¨¨..:~^*§ §*^~:..¨¨.
,,¨¨,..«:* *:«..,¨¨,,
¨.,¨¨,,-»/ /»-,,¨¨,.¨