@§%%:»~,,, ,,,~»:%%§@
@@$†-:,,,, ,,,,:-†$@@
%$=«^...¨¨ ¨¨...^«=$%
%;-,,.,¨¨, ,¨¨,.,,-;%
†«:..,,,., ,.,,,..:«†
-,.¨,¨,.¨¨ 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. ,¨:«†^*###
#@#¤&§^«~. .~«^§&¤#@#
#¶@$§†«:,. my mom is here now. i ask her for some .,:«†§$@¶#
#¤$*/»^,,, particle board for it to dry on, but ,,,^»/*$¤#
#@$;~-.¨¨¨ she is worried and wants me to ¨¨¨.-~;$@#
$§†»,.¨.,. throw it away. .,.¨.,»†§$
*\--¨,.,,. .,,.,¨--\*
^~,,¨¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨¨,,~^
~-¨,,..,,¨ ¨,,..,,¨-~
^=^.¨.,¨,. .,¨,.¨.^=^
=\»~,¨,.,, ,,.,¨,~»\=
¤*;=:¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨:=;*¤