,,=/=£#### ####£=/=,,
,,^»;%£&@# #@&£%;»^,,
.,,-~:§*#@ @#*§:~-,,.
,¨.¨^~=†¤£ £¤†=~^¨.¨,
¨.,¨,~»=*% %*=»~,¨,.¨
¨¨,¨¨¨,«/% 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 @@£$^-~¨,.
¨¨.«*†§£## clay figure i've never seen before. it ##£§†*«.¨¨
¨~«;=£@@## must have been laying in the wet dirt, ##@@£=;«~¨
.¨.«/§&@## and i must've picked it up with my ##@&§/«.¨.
.,¨:~:%# other belongings. ##&%:~:¨,.
.,¨,,~*†@# #@†*~,,¨,.
,¨.¨¨,-:%£ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked £%:-,¨¨.¨,
¨.¨¨,,~~;= on her stomach, feet in the air, =;~~,,¨¨.¨
,..,..¨-»* roughly seven centimeters long. it's *»-¨..,..,
,,¨,,.¨.^« freshly made, not yet completely dried. «^.¨.,,¨,,
¨¨,,.¨.,¨^ ^¨,.¨.,,¨¨
,.,..¨.¨¨. my mom is here now. i ask her for some .¨¨.¨..,.,
.¨,...,,.¨ particle board for it to dry on, but ¨.,,...,¨.
,,,.,,,... she is worried and wants me to ...,,,.,,,
..,..¨..,- throw it away. -,..¨..,..
¨.,.,.¨.^~ ~^.¨.,.,.¨
¨..¨..,~»^ ^»~,..¨..¨
,,¨,,¨:-^^ ^^-:¨,,¨,,
,,,¨,^=:%& &%:=^,¨,,,
¨¨.,~-*$£# #£$*-~,.¨¨
,..,~;*§&@ @&§*;~,..,