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