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