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