,,=††&¤¶## ##¶¤&††=,,
,.~~;%§¤£# #£¤§%;~~.,
,.¨-«;^*@# #@*^;«-¨.,
,...,«\%*# #*%\«,...,
¨,,.¨.~=*$ $*=~.¨.,,¨
¨.¨¨.~:*@¤ statuette ¤@*:~.¨¨.¨
,..,»:=£§¶ ¶§£=:»,..,
¨.~«/%*@@# ¤%£%*@$£*§%££§%¤=~-~~~~«*$§*£¤£§%$*%££%£ #@@*%/«~.¨
¨:~*$$&@## ££§£@&£@& ##@&$$*~:¨
.¨:«†=££¶# #¶££=†«:¨.
,.,.-\=$@@ forests around my childhood home. thick @@$=\-.,.,
,,.,^«\†&¤ 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. @£$$:»~¨¨.
.,.,.»^$%& &%$^».,.,.
...,,~«/*% * %*/«~,,...
,..,--;†@£ £@†;--,..,
,¨,-»:^££# i am not followed, and slow down in the #££^:»-,¨,
,¨,~\**@@# clearing where you at first can spot #@@**\~,¨,
¨:~^*£§### the house, not yet really in the ###§£*^~:¨
¨,,»/%%&## backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ##&%%/»,,¨
¨,,.===$£@ radio (now dented) but also a small @£$===.,,¨
,,¨¨^»\=*£ clay figure i've never seen before. it £*=\»^¨¨,,
¨¨,.¨,=^*& must have been laying in the wet dirt, &*^=,¨.,¨¨
¨,,.,~:†%# and i must've picked it up with my #%†:~,.,,¨
¨,,^«†*£¤£ other belongings. £¤£*†«^,,¨
¨.~-†=$¤@# #@¤$=†-~.¨
¨:«\^£@¶## it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ##¶@£^\«:¨
...-/^£¤## on her stomach, feet in the air, ##¤£^/-...
.¨,-~;†¤§£ roughly seven centimeters long. it's £§¤†;~-,¨.
.,¨¨,~=†£@ freshly made, not yet completely dried. @£†=~,¨¨,.
¨.¨..^»†%£ £%†»^..¨.¨
.¨¨,,»^=&£ my mom is here now. i ask her for some £&=^»,,¨¨.
..¨~~=^£@¶ particle board for it to dry on, but ¶@£^=~~¨..
¨.^-††£&@# she is worried and wants me to #@&£††-^.¨
.:~^†££### throw it away. ###££†^~:.
..~~†$$@## ##@$$†~~..
¨.¨:~;$§&# #&§$;~:¨.¨
¨,¨.-«*$£¤ ¤£$*«-.¨,¨
,,.,..~^*@ @*^~..,.,,
,,...-/*£¤ ¤£*/-...,,
,,,^»=*&¤@ @¤&*=»^,,,