¨^~^*$##@# #@##$*^~^¨
¨~»^†¤§§ §§¤#&†^»~¨
,..¨,-*^*@ @*^*-,¨..,
.:«;=£&£## ##£&£=;«:.
¨~=\=$@### ###@$=\=~¨
..~:*%£@## 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 #$*-.,.¨¨.
.,~=%§&@## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##@&§%=~,.
.,:^=*%†£¤ ¤£†%*=^:,.
¨:~†=£¤@## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##@¤£=†~:¨
¨^~:%¤#@ particle board for it to dry on, but @##&¤%:~^¨
,.-*†%#@ she is worried and wants me to @##&%†*-.,
,^-^£§#### throw it away. ####§£^-^,
..¨,.~»-$# #$-»~.,¨..
,~~†*¤¤@## ##@¤¤*†~~,
,:«=$§££@# #@££§$=«:,
,--:§¤¤¶## ##¶¤¤§:--,
,.-«~~-=@# #@=-~~«-.,
¨,«†=&§@@# #@@§&=†«,¨