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