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