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