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