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