.¨¨¨^-*£&§ §&£*-^¨¨¨.
,:=:§£@### ###@£§:=:,
¨-»;%%%§¶# #¶§%%%;»-¨
¨¨,=«†%%£¶ ¶£%%†«=,¨¨
¨¨.,-::£%¶ ¶%£::-,.¨¨
.-~~\*=$££ statuette ££$=*\~~-.
.,,.~-^^&@ @&^^-~.,,.
¨-«†^%£@## &¤¤@%**£$&$%§§¤$~«--~~=»%£@£$¤£@&*§%¤%%£ ##@£%^†«-¨
¨,~†§@#£@# %*£@&%&@& #@£#@§†~,¨
,,,,,†*=¤@ @¤=*†,,,,,
¨:~:†@¤#@# 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 ##$£:»:,¨.
¨¨¨.=%==%¤ particle board for it to dry on, but ¤%==%=.¨¨¨
.,=^§¤¤### she is worried and wants me to ###¤¤§^=,.
,.,,,»~^%¤ throw it away. ¤%^~»,,,.,
¨~~*^£@¶## ##¶@£^*~~¨
¨,¨.,«*&¤@ @¤&*«,.¨,¨
,^~**¤@@## ##@@¤**~^,
¨:=*†*¤¶## ##¶¤*†*=:¨
¨,~;§£§£&# #&£§£§;~,¨
,,¨¨¨~*=$¤ ¤$=*~¨¨¨,,