,:»/$£&@## ##@&£$/»:,
¨.=:§%&¶## ##¶&%§:=.¨
,.,.¨~^†§§ §§†^~¨.,.,
,:~:*££*%£ £%*££*:~:,
¨¨,,,.»*&@ @&*».,,,¨¨
..»=†=£&#£ 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 ###$$§:~,¨
.¨,...-:*# clay figure i've never seen before. it #*:-...,¨.
,~==§¤&££# must have been laying in the wet dirt, #££&¤§==~,
¨,=;†@£#£¶ and i must've picked it up with my ¶£#£@†;=,¨
.~»:*&¤### other belongings. ###¤&*:»~.
.¨,-\^%§&# #&§%^\-,¨.
.-=†**£¶#@ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked @#¶£**†=-.
.,,,.,«^%@ on her stomach, feet in the air, @%^«,.,,,.
¨,=††*&### roughly seven centimeters long. it's ###&*††=,¨
¨^«^$*%££# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #££%*$^«^¨
.:~:§&§### ###§&§:~:.
,-~^§*@£@# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #@£@*§^~-,
,¨,«~§*£§# particle board for it to dry on, but #§£*§~«,¨,
,^»^%&¤@## she is worried and wants me to ##@¤&%^»^,
.,,~\\%¤#@ throw it away. @#¤%\\~,,.
,~«;$$£&£@ @£&£$$;«~,
¨~=;*@§@## ##@§@*;=~¨
.,~=†&§#@# #@#§&†=~,.
,,«:*£¤### ###¤£*:«,,
,-=:†%£@## ##@£%†:=-,
,-==*¤£¤#£ £#¤£¤*==-,