,¨¨,.~~^%§ §%^~~.,¨¨,
,,.,¨,:-^$ $^-:,¨,.,,
,,¨.¨:=*¤@ @¤*=:¨.¨,,
.,,,^~;*@@ @@*;~^,,,.
,¨¨:«:§¤@@ @@¤§:«:¨¨,
.¨:~^£§@## 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 @:-^¨..,,.
,.¨,¨,«*$§ throw it away. §$*«,¨,¨.,
....,=/¤§@ @§¤/=,....
¨¨.^»†§¤## ##¤§†»^.¨¨
,¨~~†$¤### ###¤$†~~¨,
¨~~:$#¶### ###¶#$:~~¨
.¨:-^£§¶## ##¶§£^-:¨.
,.,:-/£@£# #£@£/-:,.,