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