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