.,¨,¨¨.~:^ ^:~.¨¨,¨,.
¨,¨,¨¨,^-† †-^,¨¨,¨,¨
,..¨..,,-« «-,,..¨..,
,,.,..¨¨,, ,,¨¨..,.,,
,,¨,,,¨.,~ ~,.¨,,,¨,,
,¨¨.,.,.«= 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. @#^;«~,.¨,
,¨,--*%¤@@ @@¤%*--,¨,
¨.~~:*&¶@# #@¶&*:~~.¨
¨-~=^#@@## ##@@#^=~-¨
.,.~^%@¶## ##¶@%^~.,.
¨.¨~~\^§#@ @#§^\~~¨.¨
.,.¨-»^* #&*^»-¨.,.