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