,.~;%£@### ###@£%;~.,
,..=†%¤### ###¤%†=..,
.,.~-\$§£# #£§$\-~.,.
.,,~†%¤### ###¤%†~,,.
,^»^£¤#### ####¤£^»^,
¨¨,=†*¤### statuette ###¤*†=,¨¨
,,¨^~:££@@ @@££:~^¨,,
,¨^=^§@#@# *$&&£§&£&§$$¤&$%~~-~»»«~$§*¤£§§$*&££$¤¤§ #@#@§^=^¨,
,.-=@§#### §£%$*§£@% ####§@=-.,
¨¨,-=$@#@# #@#@$=-,¨¨
.,.:«;§§@@ forests around my childhood home. thick @@§§;«:.,.
.¨.=;@£#@# pine arcades that were planted and #@#£@;=.¨.
,,»*$££### 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. ###@¤¤=»,¨
¨¨-=^%&£@# #@£&%^=-¨¨
,..-«\%&@# #@&%\«-..,
..--/£§@## ##@§£/--..
,:~;$#@@## ##@@#$;~:,
..-«*£&@## ##@&£*«-..
..,:-^$¤@@ @@¤$^-:,..