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