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