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