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