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