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