,,¨,,»^^@& &@^^»,,¨,,
,¨,,~;$&@@ @@&$;~,,¨,
,.,«^^¤¤## ##¤¤^^«,.,
,,-*$§££## ##££§$*-,,
¨.:«;*$§#@ @#§$*;«:.¨
¨,¨,-;*%§£ 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 #§*:~-¨¨,¨
..¨.~=$$£¶ she is worried and wants me to ¶£$$=~.¨..
...~;§$§@# throw it away. #@§$§;~...
.,=\†&£@@# #@@£&†\=,.
¨,:«/%$@#@ @#@$%/«:,¨
,,.:=†^$&@ @&$^†=:.,,
,..,-=;*&@ @&*;=-,..,
,¨,.¨,~;^£ £^;~,¨.,¨,
¨,¨..¨.~†$ $†~.¨..¨,¨