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