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