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