,,~«^*¤@## ##@¤*^«~,,
,,¨.-;$$¶# #¶$$;-.¨,,
¨¨,,:=*§§# #§§*=:,,¨¨
¨.¨.¨-«†=$ $=†«-¨.¨.¨
,,¨.,¨.»;* *;».¨,.¨,,
¨.,.,...»/ 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. ##£$^*~,,,
¨..-»=^*@# #@*^=»-..¨
¨¨,.,~†%&@ then i run east toward my home. @&%†~,.,¨¨
¨¨¨,.^~^$¤ ¤$^~^.,¨¨¨
¨,¨,¨,,«;% ; %;«,,¨,¨,¨
.¨..,,.^~; ;~^.,,..¨.
.¨¨¨.¨.,:~ i am not followed, and slow down in the ~:,.¨.¨¨¨.
,¨,¨,..,.. clearing where you at first can spot ..,..,¨,¨,
,,,.¨¨¨.¨¨ the house, not yet really in the ¨¨.¨¨¨.,,,
¨.,¨..¨,.. backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ..,¨..¨,.¨
.,¨,¨¨.¨,. radio (now dented) but also a small .,¨.¨¨,¨,.
.¨..¨,¨¨,. clay figure i've never seen before. it .,¨¨,¨..¨.
...¨¨,,.¨, must have been laying in the wet dirt, ,¨.,,¨¨...
¨..,¨.¨¨,, and i must've picked it up with my ,,¨¨.¨,..¨
¨.,¨,¨.,¨¨ other belongings. ¨¨,.¨,¨,.¨
,..¨....¨~ ~¨....¨..,
,.,.,,...- it's a statuette of a girl laying naked -...,,.,.,
¨,,,..¨~~/ on her stomach, feet in the air, /~~¨..,,,¨
..,¨¨¨.-** roughly seven centimeters long. it's **-.¨¨¨,..
¨,.,.^==%% freshly made, not yet completely dried. %%==^.,.,¨
¨,¨¨:~=$@£ £@$=~:¨¨,¨
,¨..-^%§@# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #@§%^-..¨,
¨..«^*¤£## particle board for it to dry on, but ##£¤*^«..¨
,^~^^¤¶### she is worried and wants me to ###¶¤^^~^,
,¨.-;%*¶@# throw it away. #@¶*%;-.¨,
¨.¨.«/*%@@ @@%*/«.¨.¨
¨,¨¨~~=%$# #$%=~~¨¨,¨
¨¨.,.-~*$* *$*~-.,.¨¨
¨,.,..,-^$ $^-,..,.,¨
¨¨,.,¨.~~; ;~~.¨,.,¨¨
,¨.¨,¨.,-- --,.¨,¨.¨,