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