,¨,¨¨.-;@£ £@;-.¨¨,¨,
¨.-\£§@### ###@§£\-.¨
,--=%$&§£# #£§&$%=--,
¨,,¨..†%¤# #¤%†..¨,,¨
.,.¨,¨.†£@ @£†.¨,¨.,.
¨,-:†$@@## statuette ##@@$†:-,¨
¨.~**%#¶@# #@¶#%**~.¨
.¨¨¨,«^£@@ $¤¤£@&§¤§%$**%§$«»«~=»»«@£*¤£$&£&¤¤&%§$$ @@£^«,¨¨¨.
,,=;%£&@£# @$*&@$%&$ #£@&£%;=,,
,,,¨.¨«-=¤ ¤=-«¨.¨,,,
¨~-\=$£@£@ forests around my childhood home. thick @£@£$=\-~¨
.,~:%%£### 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. &£%/^.,,¨.
,,../*$§@@ @@§$*/..,,
,,~;*¤@¤@£ £@¤@¤*;~,,
.,-:†¤§@@# #@@§¤†:-,.
.,»=†¤@### ###@¤†=»,.
,.«*=%&@@# #@@&%=*«.,
¨¨¨,~,^;$¤ ¤$;^,~,¨¨¨