,:~;†¤¤¶## ##¶¤¤†;~:,
¨.¨=~§=¤#¶ ¶#¤=§~=¨.¨
¨^-:$%#£## ##£#%$:-^¨
,~~;†$¤### ###¤$†;~~,
¨.,~\;*#¶@ @¶#*;\~,.¨
¨:~*$$¤@## statuette ##@¤$$*~:¨
,~~/*@&### ###&@*/~~,
..«\%$¤&@# @$¤$£$£@$@¤§&$§£-~«-~-««£¤%%$@&@@@£%@*@¤ #@&¤$%\«..
,:«==§£@## %$£¤&£¤$@ ##@£§==«:,
.,~:^%¤@## ##@¤%^:~,.
¨¨.¨-~§$&# forests around my childhood home. thick #&$§~-¨.¨¨
..,-.,;&#£ 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. ##££§*=«:,
¨^=/=¤¤@## ##@¤¤=/=^¨
,,-:=£#### ####£=:-,,
¨-~\=£#&@@ @@&#£=\~-¨
,¨-~/*$¤@@ @@¤$*/~-¨,
,:»^¤§#@## ##@#§¤^»:,
..=†%%#@## ##@#%%†=..