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