¨:»;§¤¶@## ##@¶¤§;»:¨
,.~;^%§### ###§%^;~.,
¨:~\%$§### ###§$%\~:¨
¨..¨--=£@& &@£=--¨..¨
,,~\%%§#@# #@#§%%\~,,
,,,,.¨-$&# statuette #&$-¨.,,,,
¨.»:§*#### ####*§:».¨
,^»†*$¤### £$*$£§%¤$£$@¤*¤$«--«»-»=$$@$£@@@%$%£@&%$ ###¤$*†»^,
.-~\$@&@@# §£££¤%$£$ #@@&@$\~-.
.,.¨.^*§¤# #¤§*^.¨.,.
,,=:^*@#&& forests around my childhood home. thick &&#@*^:=,,
,,,,¨~~$%¤ pine arcades that were planted and ¤%$~~¨,,,,
,¨.:~~^$£# forgotten. wild boars roaming #£$^~~:.¨,
,~«==¤¤&£# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #£&¤¤==«~,
,¨~»†*†@¶# is dark and moist, the canopy having #¶@†*†»~¨,
,¨.¨,.¨-=@ already soaked up all the sun. @=-¨.,¨.¨,
¨,¨¨.,¨»=& &=»¨,.¨¨,¨
,^»:§%¤@@# there's a river passing by, from east #@@¤%§:»^,
,¨^~,=^=*# to west, getting broader and deeper and #*=^=,~^¨,
,¨.,,~=^=# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #=^=~,,.¨,
.,»*%%#§¤# where the pine hands start to let #¤§#%%*»,.
,.~;$**§@# through light, horsemint on the rocky #@§**$;~.,
.,~=«$%%*# river bed. #*%%$«=~,.
¨,=\%%&##@ @##&%%\=,¨
,.«**§¤@@# ^ #@@¤§**«.,
,-«†^%£### ###£%^†«-,
¨,:~/:§&§@ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight @§&§:/~:,¨
,:»*†@£#@# they had been a swampworld with sylvan #@#£@†*»:,
,^~††*§### water, stone rings and floating moss. ###§*††~^,
,-~=^%##@# you could've found me wallowing around #@##%^=~-,
¨.,¨,:†$$£ 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 ##@¤%§:~-,
.,~^§$@£¶@ throw it away. @¶£@$§^~,.
,^=^§$#£@# #@£#$§^=^,
,,,«~//;@@ @@;//~«,,,
.,~**¤&### ###&¤**~,.
.,«-\=*&#@ @#&*=\-«,.
,.«^*%§@## ##@§%*^«.,
.-»/^£#### ####£^/»-.