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