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