,¨,¨,-~^£§ §£^~-,¨,¨,
,¨.,,:~-=@ @=-~:,,.¨,
.¨,.,«=%@£ £@%=«,.,¨.
,~»==\^$## ##$^\==»~,
.,,-»~-$*# #*$-~»-,,.
¨:~†§$¤¶## statuette ##¶¤$§†~:¨
,.=*%%¤@## ##@¤%%*=.,
¨--^*$££## £%§@&&§¤§§$%£$$%«~-~~~~»£@$&$*¤&*£%%§£§¤ ##££$*^--¨
^~;^¤&@@## §@§$££%@§ ##@@&¤^;~^
,¨¨,¨::%¤@ @¤%::¨,¨¨,
,.,»*\*$@@ forests around my childhood home. thick @@$*\*»,.,
..~/%*$%§# pine arcades that were planted and #§%$*%/~..
,.»/*$§@## forgotten. wild boars roaming ##@§$*/».,
.¨...~%¤&# 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. #@£&%%^~^,
.^»†^¤¤#@# #@#¤¤^†»^.
¨~~:%¤@@## ##@@¤%:~~¨
..-=%$#@@# #@@#$%=-..
,^~~»:^*¤£ £¤*^:»~~^,
¨¨.¨,=†*#£ £#*†=,¨.¨¨
.,»†§&¤### ###¤&§†»,.