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