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