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