¨..¨,,¨:-^ ^-:¨,,¨..¨
.,.¨¨¨,¨^= =^¨,¨¨¨.,.
¨¨.,,,¨.,, ,,.¨,,,.¨¨
,,.,,..¨¨. .¨¨..,,.,,
,,¨¨,¨.¨¨, ,¨¨.¨,¨¨,,
¨..,.,¨.¨¨ 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 $^†~~,.,¨,
¨.¨,,,,~\* on her stomach, feet in the air, *\~,,,,¨.¨
¨,.,.,.:~\ roughly seven centimeters long. it's \~:.,.,.,¨
.,¨,.¨,,,» freshly made, not yet completely dried. »,,,¨.,¨,.
¨.,...,,.. ..,,...,.¨
¨.,,...,., my mom is here now. i ask her for some ,.,...,,.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,,., particle board for it to dry on, but ,.,,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨..¨,.,,,. she is worried and wants me to .,,,.,¨..¨
,¨,..¨.,¨^ throw it away. ^¨,.¨..,¨,
¨¨¨¨¨,,.-- --.,,¨¨¨¨¨
.¨,¨,.,,~; ;~,,.,¨,¨.
,,,,,.-~:= =:~-.,,,,,
,¨,¨.,«^^% %^^«,.¨,¨,
..,..=:*£§ §£*:=..,..
,,¨:-^$&§¶ ¶§&$^-:¨,,