¨-«:**#£@# #@£#**:«-¨
,¨¨,:^»*§£ £§*»^:,¨¨,
,.,,¨.:/$§ §$/:.¨,,.,
¨--=*¤#&#@ @#&#¤*=--¨
,...†%†*%§ §%*†%†...,
.¨¨,¨¨=†=¤ 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 ##@@$^=-,.
.:»\§@§@## particle board for it to dry on, but ##@§@§\»:.
¨,,.~~††&# she is worried and wants me to #&††~~.,,¨
.-«\%§£### throw it away. ###£§%\«-.
,-~****%&# #&%****~-,
¨~=\†$=%&@ @&%=$†\=~¨
.^»:^*¤#@@ @@#¤*^:»^.
.:-:†£§@@# #@@§£†:-:.
.:=†$£¤#@# #@#¤£$†=:.
.,~,»:=†## ##†=:»,~,.