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