,.¨¨:~*%¤# #¤%*~:¨¨.,
¨,...:~;%& &%;~:...,¨
.¨¨,¨¨.=*% %*=.¨¨,¨¨.
..,,,.¨.«^ ^«.¨.,,,..
¨..¨¨,...~ ~...,¨¨..¨
.,.,..,¨,. 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. ¨,....,.¨,
¨.,..¨.... ....¨..,.¨
,,¨,,¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨,,¨,,
,¨,..,..¨¨ ¨¨..,..,¨,
,¨,.,¨,... ...,¨,.,¨,
,.,,,¨...: :...¨,,,.,
.¨¨...¨,,» »,,¨...¨¨.