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