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