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