..,,¨~«:§& &§:«~¨,,..
,¨¨¨¨,^-;§ §;-^,¨¨¨¨,
..¨¨...,~* *~,...¨¨..
.¨..,.,.,~ ~,.,.,..¨.
¨¨,¨¨¨.¨,. .,¨.¨¨¨,¨¨
,,,,¨¨.¨:~ 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 ##£#$/-~¨¨
.:«†&##### must have been laying in the wet dirt, #####&†«:.
.¨.»=&¤£## and i must've picked it up with my ##£¤&=».¨.
¨..-«\&@@@ other belongings. @@@&\«-..¨
.¨¨.~==@&# #&@==~.¨¨.
,.¨.¨-~:&¤ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¤&:~-¨.¨.,
,¨,¨¨,:»\% on her stomach, feet in the air, %\»:,¨¨,¨,
,,.¨..¨:-: roughly seven centimeters long. it's :-:¨..¨.,,
¨,.¨..¨¨-~ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ~-¨¨..¨.,¨
,,,.,,.¨.- -.¨.,,.,,,
,.....,¨.= my mom is here now. i ask her for some =.¨,.....,
.,¨.,¨¨-~† particle board for it to dry on, but †~-¨¨,.¨,.
,,¨.¨¨:~^% she is worried and wants me to %^~:¨¨.¨,,
.,..¨--/§§ throw it away. §§/--¨..,.
¨¨,,^»†§## ##§†»^,,¨¨
.¨,:~*¤¤## ##¤¤*~:,¨.
¨¨^«†§@@@# #@@@§†«^¨¨
.~~†$££@## ##@££$†~~.
.,-~=£§#@# #@#§£=~-,.
.,,^~:*£@# #@£*:~^,,.