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