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