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