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