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