,.,.¨=*§@# #@§*=¨.,.,
.^=;*§@£## ##£@§*;=^.
.,-*£§£### ###£§£*-,.
.,~=^@#### ####@^=~,.
¨^»;*%#¶## ##¶#%*;»^¨
¨.~^*%#### 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 §$¤\»-,..,
¨¨¨.¨»†%%@ she is worried and wants me to @%%†»¨.¨¨¨
,¨¨~«~=@£# throw it away. #£@=~«~¨¨,
,¨,¨~»:%#@ @#%:»~¨,¨,
.¨.:^**¤&@ @&¤**^:.¨.
.:«^*$£### ###£$*^«:.
¨..,¨.\§$& &$§\.¨,..¨
¨.¨¨.^:^*£ £*^:^.¨¨.¨
¨.~^§*#@## ##@#*§^~.¨