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