..¨,--/§¤¶ ¶¤§/--,¨..
¨.¨^~;%§## ##§%;~^¨.¨
..~=:£¤¶## ##¶¤£:=~..
¨,~/%§@### ###@§%/~,¨
¨¨,~:¤§#@# #@#§¤:~,¨¨
,¨.-=\¤¤## 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. ####¤$†~-.
¨..-=$@¶## ##¶@$=-..¨
,¨,,=†£@## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##@£†=,,¨,
¨¨.¨,-^&£@ particle board for it to dry on, but @£&^-,¨.¨¨
,.¨¨¨-=†%¤ she is worried and wants me to ¤%†=-¨¨¨.,
.¨,¨,-†§&# throw it away. #&§†-,¨,¨.
...,»\%§## ##§%\»,...
,,:~;£&### ###&£;~:,,
¨:~†$§¶@## ##@¶§$†~:¨
.,-~:£¤### ###¤£:~-,.
..¨~«/@§@# #@§@/«~¨..
¨¨.,,~^£§# #§£^~,,.¨¨