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