¨..,~:§@§# #§@§:~,..¨
.,,¨^~:†£# #£†:~^¨,,.
¨.¨~~/**@@ @@**/~~¨.¨
¨¨~»*$%#¶# #¶#%$*»~¨¨
,^~;*§&#@# #@#&§*;~^,
,.--^$$#@# statuette #@#$$^--.,
.¨¨:«:=&§# #§&=:«:¨¨.
¨.¨.~-/*%@ ¤%§£¤%%%&$§¤&&$$~««»~~~«$§@£%@£%$¤$$£@&@ @%*/-~.¨.¨
,¨,~=;§$#£ £&&§¤£*%* £#$§;=~,¨,
.¨:»/$*### ###*$/»:¨.
.,~*§$@£## forests around my childhood home. thick ##£@$§*~,.
.¨:»\^@@#@ 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. £§%†:-,,¨¨
¨,¨,,=†$£& &£$†=,,¨,¨
,..^-;*¤## ##¤*;-^..,
..~-^%§¤## ##¤§%^-~..
,~-/*§#### ####§*/-~,
,¨~~=§££¶# #¶££§=~~¨,
.¨¨-~:§@&@ @&@§:~-¨¨.