.^«\$&@# #@#&&$\«^.
,,~-=*£#¶# #¶#£*=-~,,
¨,..«†%%#£ £#%%†«..,¨
,¨,¨~»\§£# #£§\»~¨,¨,
¨¨...^«^$§ §$^«^...¨¨
,,,.,¨:~:† statuette †:~:¨,.,,,
..,.¨:«†%$ $%†«:¨.,..
.¨¨¨,~=$§& £$*%%%&&¤&%¤¤¤&*-»»»~«=~@&£$$¤££¤$$$*%$% &§$=~,¨¨¨.
¨...~:$¤¤# *%¤&&§&$§ #¤¤$:~...¨
.,-=^%&@#@ @#@&%^=-,.
..»:=%@### forests around my childhood home. thick ###@%=:»..
.¨.»/^%§£@ pine arcades that were planted and @£§%^/».¨.
,.¨:»\%@¤£ forgotten. wild boars roaming £¤@%\»:¨.,
,,..^-=*@§ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it §@*=-^..,,
,.¨,..~**% is dark and moist, the canopy having %**~..,¨.,
,.,.¨.^~=§ already soaked up all the sun. §=~^.¨.,.,
¨.,..:~;=@ @=;~:..,.¨
.,.,-~/%%§ there's a river passing by, from east §%%/~-,.,.
¨¨.,»/^§£@ to west, getting broader and deeper and @£§^/»,.¨¨
.,^~**£@@@ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just @@@£**~^,.
,:~†*### where the pine hands start to let ####&*†~:,
¨,,-/^%§£# through light, horsemint on the rocky #£§%^/-,,¨
.¨¨,»*§$&£ 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. @#£*/~,,,¨
,,¨,,»;%%¤ ¤%%;»,,¨,,
...¨.--*$% %$*--.¨...
,¨¨,..,«/^ ^/«,..,¨¨,
..,.¨-~/%@ @%/~-¨.,..
.¨¨¨:==%&£ £&%==:¨¨¨.
¨..:=/=%¤@ @¤%=/=:..¨