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