¨..^^†:%%£ £%%:†^^..¨
.:~^%%¤@#¶ ¶#@¤%%^~:.
.:-:§*#¶## ##¶#*§:-:.
,¨¨¨.««:$# #$:««.¨¨¨,
...¨~\*$## ##$*\~¨...
.-~;$$¶### statuette ###¶$$;~-.
,¨.,=-§%££ ££%§-=,.¨,
¨^-*†£#@## %&*§*§¤£&%*&&§@§~----==~£%¤$%$§*£¤$*$§¤% ##@#£†*-^¨
,.¨~~:»=¤£ £&&§£&&@¤ £¤=»:~~¨.,
,.-~\^$¤£# #£¤$^\~-.,
.,=\†¤§£#@ 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, #@@@$*;=-,
,:«^=&&@@# roughly seven centimeters long. it's #@@&&=^«:,
,-~/%*£¶¶# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #¶¶£*%/~-,
¨¨,¨¨,=$§@ @§$=,¨¨,¨¨
.,,,¨,,;¤@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @¤;,,¨,,,.
,¨..,..«*£ particle board for it to dry on, but £*«..,..¨,
¨.«^%%@### she is worried and wants me to ###@%%^«.¨
..¨¨~†*@£& throw it away. &£@*†~¨¨..
¨.,¨-«^*¤@ @¤*^«-¨,.¨
¨^«:%£&¤¶# #¶¤&£%:«^¨
,,«*$¤&@## ##@&¤$*«,,
.,,»«*%££# #££%*«»,,.
¨^«=%@#@@# #@@#@%=«^¨
¨~~*=§¤£## ##£¤§=*~~¨