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