..-;*%§@## ##@§%*;-..
,,..,~\@&& &&@\~,..,,
¨,~\=%#@## ##@#%=\~,¨
¨,»/%&&££# #££&&%/»,¨
,:«=%¤¤¤@# #@¤¤¤%=«:,
,~-/§$*£@& statuette &@£*$§/-~,
¨.,,:,=@£§ §£@=,:,,.¨
,~~\$£#¶@# *&*££§%%$$§$¤$%*»~~~~~»»$£&%¤*£$§££*£$%& #@¶#£$\~~,
¨..¨.,,~†@ %&§&£%%$@ @†~,,.¨..¨
,^~\$%#££# #££#%$\~^,
.,~^*@&¶## forests around my childhood home. thick ##¶&@*^~,.
¨:«*%&£@#@ pine arcades that were planted and @#@£&%*«:¨
,.~;%$&#@# forgotten. wild boars roaming #@#&$%;~.,
,.¨¨.=$=&# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #&=$=.¨¨.,
¨:-\*&£££@ is dark and moist, the canopy having @£££&*\-:¨
¨.~\*@@#@# already soaked up all the sun. #@#@@*\~.¨
,,,,.^†%¤# #¤%†^.,,,,
.~~^*&§@## there's a river passing by, from east ##@§&*^~~.
¨.=^*$@@@# to west, getting broader and deeper and #@@@$*^=.¨
¨,,¨¨~~\%£ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just £%\~~¨¨,,¨
¨,,.«^*%£@ where the pine hands start to let @£%*^«.,,¨
..-~**%&@@ through light, horsemint on the rocky @@&%**~-..
,-=**##### river bed. #####**=-,
¨~~/§*¤@&# #&@¤*§/~~¨
.¨..¨¨«$§# * #§$«¨¨..¨.
,.¨==~=$@@ @@$=~==¨.,
¨^=;=£¤@## the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ##@¤£=;=^¨
.,,,:*%%$@ they had been a swampworld with sylvan @$%%*:,,,.
,,,,,~/%££ water, stone rings and floating moss. ££%/~,,,,,
,:~;$$&@@@ 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. @#@%§~^~¨,
,.~^%£#¶## ##¶#£%^~.,
.¨¨.=«^*¤§ §¤*^«=.¨¨.
,..¨.¨^-^@ @^-^¨.¨..,
,-«††=%*¤@ @¤*%=††«-,
.^«=$$¤£## ##£¤$$=«^.
¨,.¨.,\¤#£ £#¤\,.¨.,¨