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