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