¨.:^^«†$=§ §=$†«^^:.¨
,.«;†¤@¶## ##¶@¤†;«.,
¨,-\%£§£@# #@£§£%\-,¨
,¨,«=**£§§ §§£**=«,¨,
,-=;^@§@## ##@§@^;=-,
.~-:*£&@## 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 #$*~~¨¨,..
..«\=*%%#@ particle board for it to dry on, but @#%%*=\«..
,:»=^*#£@# she is worried and wants me to #@£#*^=»:,
,-«/=§£%£# throw it away. #£%£§=/«-,
,^-\$#¶@## ##@¶#$\-^,
¨^-;*$§@@# #@@§$*;-^¨
.,¨...-*¤@ @¤*-...¨,.
,-»†=¤#¶@# #@¶#¤=†»-,
,,-^*$¤£## ##£¤$*^-,,
¨¨..-=:&§@ @§&:=-..¨¨