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