,..,»;§¤¤£ £¤¤§;»,..,
...~;^@#@# #@#@^;~...
,^=\†*&£@# #@£&*†\=^,
¨..~;§£££# #£££§;~..¨
¨,.,»/%@¤@ @¤@%/»,.,¨
..,,,-;§*§ 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. $§/-,.,..,
.,¨,,.^=/^ ^/=^.,,¨,.
.¨,,¨,¨~»\ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked \»~¨,¨,,¨.
,,.,,..¨,~ on her stomach, feet in the air, ~,¨..,,.,,
..¨.¨¨,~»/ roughly seven centimeters long. it's /»~,¨¨.¨..
¨¨.¨,,.~\^ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ^\~.,,¨.¨¨
...¨..-*%$ $%*-..¨...
.¨¨¨.~;§£§ my mom is here now. i ask her for some §£§;~.¨¨¨.
,¨.,-=%*£# particle board for it to dry on, but #£*%=-,.¨,
..,«^%*@@# she is worried and wants me to #@@*%^«,..
¨:=†=&¤@## throw it away. ##@¤&=†=:¨
.,-»/§%§@# #@§%§/»-,.
,,,,«;$£@@ @@£$;«,,,,
.¨..^~*^%# #%^*~^..¨.
..¨..,»**§ §**»,..¨..
¨,.¨..,~/* */~,..¨.,¨
¨..,,,¨,-* *-,¨,,,..¨