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