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