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