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