¨:-\%%#¶@# #@¶#%%\-:¨
¨¨.~:^*^$§ §$^*^:~.¨¨
..=:%£#### ####£%:=..
¨.=\$£&£## ##£&£$\=.¨
,:«*%%^=@# #@=^%%*«:,
.^=;†\*§&¤ statuette ¤&§*\†;=^.
.~-†§££@## ##@££§†-~.
.^«^%$§@@# %&¤$¤££$@%§%**£$««-»-~=~¤$%&§%¤¤@§¤%§¤¤% #@@§$%^«^.
,.~*^@¤@@@ $&££@@£@§ @@@¤@^*~.,
,.=:=§§#¶# #¶#§§=:=.,
¨¨.¨~«=@¤# forests around my childhood home. thick #¤@=«~¨.¨¨
,^=\@§¶### pine arcades that were planted and ###¶§@\=^,
,¨,,/\/*$# 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 ####&$/~-¨
¨.-†*%§£## she is worried and wants me to ##£§%*†-.¨
,^~^†%§#@# throw it away. #@#§%†^~^,
,,«;%§#£@# #@£#§%;«,,
¨~~†%*###¶ ¶###*%†~~¨
.^«*$*$§£@ @£§$*$*«^.
¨,=:*§¤#¶# #¶#¤§*:=,¨
.,,.,,,*%£ £%*,,,.,,.
,,~^§*@£@# #@£@*§^~,,