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