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