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