¨~-^=$&£## ##£&$=^-~¨
,,..~~\*@# #@*\~~..,,
.,.«/:*@#@ @#@*:/«.,.
¨,»;%£##@# #@##£%;»,¨
,,~;%£¤#@# #@#¤£%;~,,
.,,.^/**@£ 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 @&¤%&$*-~,
,.=/%*£&## particle board for it to dry on, but ##&£*%/=.,
¨.~†^§#### she is worried and wants me to ####§^†~.¨
..~,-»*£%¶ throw it away. ¶%£*»-,~..
,,,-~\§£*¤ ¤*£§\~-,,,
,.=:=@#¶@@ @@¶#@=:=.,
¨,,^=$**£# #£**$=^,,¨
¨¨.¨.^»*%& &%*»^.¨.¨¨
,~==*¤£¶## ##¶£¤*==~,
,«/$%&¶@## ##@¶&%$/«,