¨:^-,»=§&@ @&§=»,-^:¨
,^-=^*†$@¤ ¤@$†*^=-^,
,,,.,†^§£# #£§^†,.,,,
,¨¨,,«†££# #££†«,,¨¨,
.-~~\§*£@# #@£*§\~~-.
,.-*^¤§@¤¶ 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 ##@£%^;-^¨
¨,~=%$@¶## particle board for it to dry on, but ##¶@$%=~,¨
.~~;$§¤#@# she is worried and wants me to #@#¤§$;~~.
¨-»;$¤¤£## throw it away. ##£¤¤$;»-¨
¨,~††%#### ####%††~,¨
,.,../££#£ £#££/..,.,
..»†*##### #####*†»..
¨^~:%&¤### ###¤&%:~^¨
¨~»^*%&### ###&%*^»~¨
,,-:$§##@# #@##§$:-,,