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