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