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