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