¨,-††£@£&¶ ¶&£@£††-,¨
,.^,«~*%¶# #¶%*~«,^.,
¨-,~=»:$£@ @£$:»=~,-¨
¨^~/\:%%## ##%%:\/~^¨
¨~-*^%#@@@ @@@#%^*-~¨
,.-;^%£#@# 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 #§%§^*†-~.
,-=^§$§@## she is worried and wants me to ##@§$§^=-,
..==%$#@## throw it away. ##@#$%==..
¨-«*=@£### ###£@=*«-¨
.~=*%@§### ###§@%*=~.
¨.¨-»^*££# #££*^»-¨.¨
.:~†%%¤@## ##@¤%%†~:.
¨-»*%£#£## ##£#£%*»-¨
.~-††*£@## ##@£*††-~.