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