,¨.,~--^$¶ ¶$^--~,.¨,
,¨....†&&¶ ¶&&†....¨,
,,-†^£#### ####£^†-,,
.^=†^%§£## ##£§%^†=^.
,¨...~~;$¶ ¶$;~~...¨,
¨:«\%%&@## 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 #@#£&†=«-¨
,.¨-/†\;$£ she is worried and wants me to £$;\†/-¨.,
¨:«/%$@£## throw it away. ##£@$%/«:¨
¨~«/*@#### ####@*/«~¨
.^=\=£@@## ##@@£=\=^.
¨¨¨¨¨..»*§ §*»..¨¨¨¨¨
¨,¨.-^†^&# #&^†^-.¨,¨
.,.¨.=£&## ##&£=.¨.,.
...¨^^†%%£ £%%†^^¨...