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