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