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