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