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