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