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