,.,,,,^-^¤ ¤^-^,,,,.,
¨¨¨¨,.~:$# #$:~.,¨¨¨¨
.¨,¨~«:££@ @££:«~¨,¨.
.¨.,«=¤#@# #@#¤=«,.¨.
¨..-^&&@@# #@@&&^-..¨
.-~^&&#### 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 $=»:,¨¨,.,
¨¨.¨,¨¨,-; clay figure i've never seen before. it ;-,¨¨,¨.¨¨
,,,¨,,..,= must have been laying in the wet dirt, =,..,,¨,,,
¨.¨..¨,¨., and i must've picked it up with my ,.¨,¨..¨.¨
.¨...,¨... other belongings. ...¨,...¨.
¨,.¨¨,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,¨¨.,¨
,¨¨,,.¨,¨¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨¨,¨.,,¨¨,
..¨.¨,¨¨.¨ on her stomach, feet in the air, ¨.¨¨,¨.¨..
.¨,¨,¨..¨. roughly seven centimeters long. it's .¨..¨,¨,¨.
...,.,,¨., freshly made, not yet completely dried. ,.¨,,.,...
.¨¨¨¨¨,..¨ ¨..,¨¨¨¨¨.
,.¨¨,¨.,¨^ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ^¨,.¨,¨¨.,
¨.,,.¨.,~= particle board for it to dry on, but =~,.¨.,,.¨
,,.,,,,,«\ she is worried and wants me to \«,,,,,.,,
,,.¨..^~†* throw it away. *†~^..¨.,,
..¨¨¨,»=$§ §$=»,¨¨¨..
,...~-/§£# #£§/-~...,
¨,.~~;£§¶# #¶§£;~~.,¨
¨,.~†$#£## ##£#$†~.,¨
,,»/$£@@## ##@@£$/»,,
.,,~:&#@## ##@#&:~,,.