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