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