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