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