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