¨,=;†£&§¶@ @¶§&£†;=,¨
.-=*=$¤¶@# #@¶¤$=*=-.
,~-;†&@### ###@&†;-~,
¨.¨.¨::£§¤ ¤§£::¨.¨.¨
.¨.,.~^*#£ £#*^~.,.¨.
¨¨,~«†$¤&& statuette &&¤$†«~,¨¨
,,-\=*§### ###§*=\-,,
¨~~\%££¤&# ¤%@¤££$*&&%$%$%¤=~~«~=-»%&$$¤@¤$§@*&$$$& #&¤££%\~~¨
,~»;%£§£## %&%*@¤££@ ##£§£%;»~,
..«:=%££## ##££%=:«..
,,»†$@¤@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@¤@$†»,,
..,,*\%&§# 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 ¶%==^..,,.
.,~**$§#£@ throw it away. @£#§$**~,.
¨:==§§&@#¤ ¤#@&§§==:¨
¨,¨.¨¨»\*@ @*\»¨¨.¨,¨
,~~\%¤@@## ##@@¤%\~~,
¨,.,=$*$*@ @*$*$=,.,¨
¨:~/%£#@## ##@#£%/~:¨
¨¨.~~^*=@@ @@=*^~~.¨¨