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