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