¨.,.,~»*&& &&*»~,.,.¨
,-~/%¤@### ###@¤%/~-,
,¨,,:=%£¶# #¶£%=:,,¨,
,,=/=¤#@## ##@#¤=/=,,
.,,,¨~-/&# #&/-~¨,,,.
..,,~^$¤£¶ statuette ¶£¤$^~,,..
,.»\=@##@# #@##@=\».,
,,«*§§&@## ¤@@£%$$£§$$£$£¤£-«~»«-~«$§§¤&%$£*$$@$*%$ ##@&§§*«,,
.-»\%$§@## £$*@$£$¤@ ##@§$%\»-.
¨:«*†£¤¶@# #@¶¤£†*«:¨
.,.¨.-†^=@ forests around my childhood home. thick @=^†-.¨.,.
¨~«;=@#### pine arcades that were planted and ####@=;«~¨
¨^»/$£&#@# 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. §%=:*~-,¨,
¨,,¨.*^*%¶ ¶%*^*.¨,,¨
.,=;§$£¶@# #@¶£$§;=,.
.:~:*§¤¶@# #@¶¤§*:~:.
¨,«/%#@### ###@#%/«,¨
,¨,,/\$§## ##§$\/,,¨,
,-~\†$&¤¶@ @¶¤&$†\~-,