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