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