,.¨¨.¨.... ....¨.¨¨.,
¨.,¨¨¨.,,. .,,.¨¨¨,.¨
,¨,,¨¨.¨., ,.¨.¨¨,,¨,
.¨¨..¨,.¨. .¨.,¨..¨¨.
,...¨..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..¨...,
,..,¨.,.¨¨ 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. ~.,..¨.¨¨,
,,,,,,.,¨, ,¨,.,,,,,,
.,,¨¨,.,,, ,,,.,¨¨,,.
,¨,,,.,,¨¨ ¨¨,,.,,,¨,
,.,,,,.,.. ..,.,,,,.,
,¨,¨¨.,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,.¨¨,¨,
¨¨¨,,¨¨.., ,..¨¨,,¨¨¨