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