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