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