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