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