¨^-»^*£&#@ @#&£*^»-^¨
..¨:~^†%*£ £*%†^~:¨..
.^~/*£§@@# #@@§£*/~^.
¨..¨.~^=$# #$=^~.¨..¨
.~~/*%§#@# #@#§%*/~~.
..,,,†=^$@ statuette @$^=†,,,..
.,,,.:/*@¶ ¶@*/:.,,,.
,,¨~.*¤¤§# $£&%*$££¤%$$%¤%$=~~~=»=»$@@@%£*£¤¤&%*$%£ #§¤¤*.~¨,,
¨:«\*@§### $$¤£$§%%% ###§@*\«:¨
¨..~††§##¶ ¶##§††~..¨
,:«*%*&@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@&*%*«:,
.^-††&#### pine arcades that were planted and ####&††-^.
¨^=\^%#@## forgotten. wild boars roaming ##@#%^\=^¨
,,~\†$##@@ 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 #@@#£§;-^¨
¨,=:§$#@@# she is worried and wants me to #@@#$§:=,¨
.,-~~%$&&# throw it away. #&&$%~~-,.
,^-;†$#£## ##£#$†;-^,
,,»\%$@£@¶ ¶@£@$%\»,,
¨^~\§§#@## ##@#§§\~^¨
..-^*¤£### ###£¤*^-..
..~\*£@¶#@ @#¶@£*\~..
.¨^««^*%&¤ ¤&%*^««^¨.