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