¨..,¨.~^%@ @%^~.¨,..¨
,¨,¨,¨,-;† †;-,¨,¨,¨,
.,,.,,~:*& &*:~,,.,,.
.¨¨,-~^*§¶ ¶§*^~-,¨¨.
,,,-=:*£¶# #¶£*:=-,,,
,.-~*$@### statuette ###@$*~-.,
.^=/§&£@## ##@£&§/=^.
¨¨,~/*#£## %¤*$£$&£§£¤§¤£&*»«==-»»-*¤¤*¤$@£&%£@%$$$ ##£#*/~,¨¨
,.¨-~:*¤## $£$£%£@@% ##¤*:~-¨.,
¨¨.¨^«^%¤# #¤%^«^¨.¨¨
...¨,,~\*¤ 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. ¤%†--,¨..¨
¨,¨¨,¨-=/$ $/=-¨,¨¨,¨
,¨¨¨.^~^^¤ * ¤^^~^.¨¨¨,
¨¨.¨~»=*¤£ £¤*=»~¨.¨¨
¨.,,»*§@## i am not followed, and slow down in the ##@§*»,,.¨
,¨-~=%£¶## clearing where you at first can spot ##¶£%=~-¨,
¨,~;%##@## the house, not yet really in the ##@##%;~,¨
.¨:-*%@#@# backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my #@#@%*-:¨.
..¨-~=*&¶@ radio (now dented) but also a small @¶&*=~-¨..
¨¨.¨-~\§¤# clay figure i've never seen before. it #¤§\~-¨.¨¨
,¨¨,.~~:%@ must have been laying in the wet dirt, @%:~~.,¨¨,
.,..¨.~=/% and i must've picked it up with my %/=~.¨..,.
.,¨¨,:-^%& other belongings. &%^-:,¨¨,.
.,..--\§&@ @&§\--..,.
,¨,,~:%£¶@ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked @¶£%:~,,¨,
¨¨.~††#¶@# on her stomach, feet in the air, #@¶#††~.¨¨
.^~†§&£### roughly seven centimeters long. it's ###£&§†~^.
¨.--**¤@## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##@¤**--.¨
..,~~=*&@# #@&*=~~,..
.,.¨,»^%£@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @£%^»,¨.,.
¨.¨¨.^«;%# particle board for it to dry on, but #%;«^.¨¨.¨
¨....¨^»;† she is worried and wants me to †;»^¨....¨
¨,¨¨¨^-\†§ throw it away. §†\-^¨¨¨,¨
.,..-~:*## ##*:~-..,.
¨¨.^~/†§@@ @@§†/~^.¨¨
,.,»:%&£## ##£&%:»,.,
¨.-\$¤#### ####¤$\-.¨
.¨,=^=#### ####=^=,¨.
.,¨,~/$&£@ @£&$/~,¨,.