¨^~=%&&£@# #@£&&%=~^¨
,,¨,,,=^*# #*^=,,,¨,,
,~~/^$¤#@# #@#¤$^/~~,
.:~*%§£### ###£§%*~:.
,~«^*%#@## ##@#%*^«~,
,^~^*££¶## 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 ####¤^;»-,
¨:«^§$£@## she is worried and wants me to ##@£$§^«:¨
,¨.,~;$¤¶# throw it away. #¶¤$;~,.¨,
¨^~^*&§### ###§&*^~^¨
.,^~,~$%@¶ ¶@%$~,~^,.
¨¨..,.,\^@ @^\,.,..¨¨
¨,,¨.=§$@¤ ¤@$§=.¨,,¨
.,¨.,¨«^$& &$^«¨,.¨,.
.~~;^@§@@# #@@§@^;~~.