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