¨.....,==% %==,.....¨
,,¨,.,~;%# #%;~,.,¨,,
¨,¨..«*†## ##†*«..¨,¨
.¨,~=^†¤## ##¤†^=~,¨.
,.~»\^¤### ###¤^\»~.,
,-«†*@¶### 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. =^,¨¨.,,..
¨,..¨,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,¨..,¨
,¨¨¨.,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,.¨¨¨,
,,.,,,,.,¨ ¨,.,,,,.,,
,,,¨..,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,..¨,,,
,..,.,¨.,^ ^,.¨,.,..,
¨,.,.¨,.-~ ~-.,¨.,.,¨