¨¨.¨.:=*^£ £^*=:.¨.¨¨
.,.,~-\†$& &$†\-~,.,.
¨,¨-~†=¤§@ @§¤=†~-¨,¨
,.^~\=¤&@# #@&¤=\~^.,
¨-==%&¤### ###¤&%==-¨
,.,~:%%#¶# 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 ¤*=-~¨.¨¨,
.¨..,~=†$¤ she is worried and wants me to ¤$†=~,..¨.
¨,,,«*$£¤@ throw it away. @¤£$*«,,,¨
,¨:«:$@£## ##£@$:«:¨,
.,-\%@§£## ##£§@%\-,.
.¨-~^§§§£# #£§§§^~-¨.
¨..,~^§*§# #§*§^~,..¨
,,,,~=†%%£ £%%†=~,,,,
..¨.,^~†§% %§†~^,.¨..