¨,.^;:%&£@ @£&%:;^.,¨
.:~^%*£$£@ @£$£*%^~:.
¨,,,,,~^&£ £&^~,,,,,¨
¨.-:**¤£## ##£¤**:-.¨
¨¨,¨.,^/§@ @§/^,.¨,¨¨
.,«†%$#@## statuette ##@#$%†«,.
¨,-=%@#¶@# #@¶#@%=-,¨
,,,~«§=*¤& @$&£$¤%%§§*¤%£$*»-»««~«»*¤$$¤%$%¤¤£%@¤$$ &¤*=§«~,,,
.,¨,»††:$@ ¤%££**§@§ @$:††»,¨,.
¨.,..,:=@£ £@=:,..,.¨
.^=:$$£¶## forests around my childhood home. thick ##¶£$$:=^.
.,¨~^=%&¤@ 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. ###&£†\«,¨
..,,==/:£@ @£:/==,,..
¨,~:†£¤#@# #@#¤£†:~,¨
,..,¨..«§& &§«..¨,..,
¨.¨¨¨.,**£ £**,.¨¨¨.¨
¨,¨,,*\*%@ @%*\*,,¨,¨
,^=^*$¤@@# #@@¤$*^=^,