,,«/§$@¶## ##¶@$§/«,,
.,--\=$§## ##§$=\--,.
¨.¨^»;$@ @#&$;»^¨.¨
.¨,.-«:=$¤ ¤$=:«-.,¨.
¨...,,-:$@ @$:-,,...¨
,.¨.¨.:-=% 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 $:~:.¨¨,,¨
¨¨..,~=:=@ umbrella which i'm sitting on. @=:=~,..¨¨
.¨¨.,»^$§£ £§$^»,.¨¨.
¨¨.:«/^££¶ * ¶££^/«:.¨¨
.¨~»†%%§## ##§%%†»~¨.
,--/=£&£## somethings moving in the grass. it's ##£&£=/--,
..^~^§%§@# invisible to my eyes but i can feel #@§%§^~^..
¨,.:~;=@ through the ground just how large it is. @#&=;~:.,¨
.¨,,,-/=$# #$=/-,,,¨.
¨¨...,-=^£ the soil is muddy. i slip when trying £^=-,...¨¨
..¨,,¨~=^^ to get up, still looking at the ^^=~¨,,¨..
¨.,¨,.,-=* direction of sound rather than at my *=-,.,¨,.¨
.¨.¨,¨,..~ hands, who are busy putting things in ~..,¨,¨.¨.
¨.¨,¨,.¨,: my pockets. :,¨.,¨,¨.¨
,,¨..¨..,, ,,..¨..¨,,
..¨¨.,¨,,. then i run east toward my home. .,,¨,.¨¨..
,,¨,.¨,,,. .,,,¨.,¨,,
¨¨.,,...¨- ^ -¨...,,.¨¨
..,¨,.,¨.- -.¨,.,¨,..
..,,.,¨~~† i am not followed, and slow down in the †~~¨,.,,..
.,¨.¨¨,~^% clearing where you at first can spot %^~,¨¨.¨,.
,.¨,,-=†*% the house, not yet really in the %*†=-,,¨.,
.¨..:=;*££ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ££*;=:..¨.
.¨.,~:†@#@ radio (now dented) but also a small @#@†:~,.¨.
¨,:«†*£§£# clay figure i've never seen before. it #£§£*†«:,¨
¨-~:^¤@¶## must have been laying in the wet dirt, ##¶@¤^:~-¨
.¨,~=%¤¤£# and i must've picked it up with my #£¤¤%=~,¨.
,¨.~«:§%## other belongings. ##%§:«~.¨,
¨¨.¨^~\§@@ @@§\~^¨.¨¨
,,.¨,,»*†% it's a statuette of a girl laying naked %†*»,,¨.,,
.,.¨¨.^«†* on her stomach, feet in the air, *†«^.¨¨.,.
,,,,¨,¨,-/ roughly seven centimeters long. it's /-,¨,¨,,,,
,,¨..,.¨,- freshly made, not yet completely dried. -,¨.,..¨,,
,.¨¨,.,.., ,..,.,¨¨.,
,.¨,.,,.., my mom is here now. i ask her for some ,..,,.,¨.,
.,..,.,¨., particle board for it to dry on, but ,.¨,.,..,.
.,,..,,.¨¨ she is worried and wants me to ¨¨.,,..,,.
¨¨¨,¨,,¨,, throw it away. ,,¨,,¨,¨¨¨
¨.¨.¨...:« «:...¨.¨.¨
¨¨,¨,¨,~«= =«~,¨,¨,¨¨
..¨¨¨,:=*† †*=:,¨¨¨..
¨...¨:=^*£ £*^=:¨...¨
..¨,,«†*§¤ ¤§*†«,,¨..
.¨.~~;%$ #&$%;~~.¨.