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