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