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