¨:-\%@¶### ###¶@%\-:¨
¨¨,,,-=&¤& &¤&=-,,,¨¨
.¨.¨~**\$£ £$\**~¨.¨.
¨,.,¨-,:†¤ ¤†:,-¨,.,¨
.¨..*^%¤§# #§¤%^*..¨.
.,..¨::&§£ statuette £§&::¨..,.
,,«:%$@### ###@$%:«,,
¨:~^=%#£## £¤§£%££*££&%£@§&~~~«~~==*$$@*¤%$$£@¤§¤** ##£#%=^~:¨
,~~:§§£@## &%%¤§@$$$ ##@£§§:~~,
,^=:*%¤£@# #@£¤%*:=^,
,~»*=$£@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@£$=*»~,
,:~*%%£### 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. ####£$^=,.
..,¨.-=%¤@ @¤%=-.¨,..
.:~*=¤#### ####¤=*~:.
.,~=%$&&££ ££&&$%=~,.
¨^=†%$@##@ @##@$%†=^¨
..~«»=%¤¤# #¤¤%=»«~..
.,»†%¤#£¶# #¶£#¤%†»,.