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