¨.-*=¤@#@# #@#@¤=*-.¨
¨^~^^%#¶@# #@¶#%^^~^¨
,¨¨¨,^/*%£ £%*/^,¨¨¨,
.,~~~.=**£ £**=.~~~,.
,.,,,,,«*¤ ¤*«,,,,,.,
¨~«/*$##@# statuette #@##$*/«~¨
.,,¨-\%†@# #@†%\-¨,,.
,,-=*§¤#@# $*@@$@*£££@$*$$%»~-»~~~»%$*§$£$$$$%$%@$£ #@#¤§*=-,,
¨^~/§$@### @&£%¤¤§%$ ###@$§/~^¨
¨,=\%£§@## ##@§£%\=,¨
¨.»;£@@@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@@@£;».¨
¨^«\%%&#@# pine arcades that were planted and #@#&%%\«^¨
.,~\†$@££¤ 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 @#¶£$†^~~,
¨^=:==*§&# particle board for it to dry on, but #&§*==:=^¨
..¨¨,¨¨»^# she is worried and wants me to #^»¨¨,¨¨..
¨,-†§%#@@# throw it away. #@@#%§†-,¨
,.~†§*£&@£ £@&£*§†~.,
,,-/*¤#@## ##@#¤*/-,,
¨^«:^$@@@# #@@@$^:«^¨
¨^~**$§£#¶ ¶#£§$**~^¨
¨,¨¨-=\%@¶ ¶@%\=-¨¨,¨
,-~†=$&@@# #@@&$=†~-,