¨,«\=%@¶## ##¶@%=\«,¨
¨,¨,.,^@ #&@^,.,¨,¨
¨,.¨,,»^&§ §&^»,,¨.,¨
¨¨¨.,~^£@@ @@£^~,.¨¨¨
,¨^~.»**£@ @£**».~^¨,
,,=^*§¤@@# 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 ###&£=/~,,
¨¨,«-=/$¶@ she is worried and wants me to @¶$/=-«,¨¨
¨,.»/*†$£# throw it away. #£$†*/».,¨
,^=^%%§@@@ @@@§%%^=^,
,,«;*=:^£@ @£^:=*;«,,
,:-/=%££## ##££%=/-:,
¨,¨,~:$&@§ §@&$:~,¨,¨
¨¨¨¨-~*@&& &&@*~-¨¨¨¨
¨^~;^@@@@# #@@@@^;~^¨