,¨.,»*§&## ##&§*»,.¨,
¨¨:~~**¤&# #&¤**~~:¨¨
.:-:*$§£## ##£§$*:-:.
¨-««/=;£¶@ @¶£;=/««-¨
,,..^;$#§# #§#$;^..,,
.~«;†%§@## 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. ###@£§/~^¨
¨~»\$£###@ @###£$\»~¨
¨:=;^^*§&# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #&§*^^;=:¨
,^«=†£§### particle board for it to dry on, but ###§£†=«^,
¨:»:%%¤@## she is worried and wants me to ##@¤%%:»:¨
.¨,,,†*^%@ throw it away. @%^*†,,,¨.
.^»=%$§£@# #@£§$%=»^.
.:-:%@&£#@ @#£&@%:-:.
¨,-/*£¤£## ##£¤£*/-,¨
¨.«~-^$§#¶ ¶#§$^-~«.¨
¨^-**%@£@# #@£@%**-^¨
¨:~††%&@@# #@@&%††~:¨