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