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