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