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