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