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