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