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