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