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