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