...¨.,.,.. ..,.,.¨...
,¨,¨¨.¨,¨, ,¨,¨.¨¨,¨,
¨¨¨,,¨,.,, ,,.,¨,,¨¨¨
,,¨.¨..,.¨ ¨.,..¨.¨,,
.¨,¨,¨,¨¨, ,¨¨,¨,¨,¨.
,...,¨,.,. 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. %^«-,¨¨,.¨
,,,,¨,¨,~: :~,¨,¨,,,,
.,¨¨¨,.,-» »-,.,¨¨¨,.
.,.,,.¨,¨^ ^¨,¨.,,.,.
¨¨...,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,...¨¨
,.,,¨¨.¨,, ,,¨.¨¨,,.,
..¨,¨.¨..¨ ¨..¨.¨,¨..