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