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