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