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