,,»;^§@### ###@§^;»,,
,^»†=@@¶## ##¶@@=†»^,
,,.¨.=»%## ##%»=.¨.,,
¨^=/%££### ###££%/=^¨
.^^~~§^¤@# #@¤^§~~^^.
.=/$@&#### statuette ####&@$/=.
¨,»/*§&### ###&§*/»,¨
.,¨»\=*¤¶# @£$$@*&§%$%%§¤$@~««»=-=~%@$@&¤%%@*@£%£&% #¶¤*=\»¨,.
¨¨¨^-;$£&§ &¤$£%%£$& §&£$;-^¨¨¨
¨,»=«^==*£ £*==^«=»,¨
¨¨,-^/%¤#@ forests around my childhood home. thick @#¤%/^-,¨¨
¨^»**&¤&£# pine arcades that were planted and #£&¤&**»^¨
.:«~=/*$†# forgotten. wild boars roaming #†$*/=~«:.
,..»;†¤&££ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ££&¤†;»..,
.¨,.,»†£#@ is dark and moist, the canopy having @#£†»,.,¨.
.,»^†&@#¤§ already soaked up all the sun. §¤#@&†^»,.
.¨¨.,,~**@ @**~,,.¨¨.
..=:§%&@@@ there's a river passing by, from east @@@&%§:=..
¨,~=†§§#@# to west, getting broader and deeper and #@#§§†=~,¨
¨~«\†£&¶## slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ##¶&£†\«~¨
¨¨,~«%*¤£# where the pine hands start to let #£¤*%«~,¨¨
..~\=%£@@# through light, horsemint on the rocky #@@£%=\~..
,.~\%%%@@¶ river bed. ¶@@%%%\~.,
,¨,-:»$*§@ @§*$»:-,¨,
¨,¨,,-=£## / ##£=-,,¨,¨
,,¨.,^†%£# #£%†^,.¨,,
.-»†**%&£¶ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ¶£&%**†»-.
¨,¨~-^†£¤£ they had been a swampworld with sylvan £¤£†^-~¨,¨
,~~;^$¤### water, stone rings and floating moss. ###¤$^;~~,
¨-«:^@¶### you could've found me wallowing around ###¶@^:«-¨
¨.~;$%@££& on the southern shores until i got &££@%$;~.¨
,¨:«†=¤£#@ bitten. @#£¤=†«:¨,
¨-,,:\%%@@ @@%%\:,,-¨
..~^*%*@#@ but now i'm further back, on solid @#@*%*^~..
.,,,,¨«;*@ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an @*;«¨,,,,.
¨¨.¨--†£#¤ orange tin radio and a translucent ¤#£†--¨.¨¨
,.~:%%$££¤ umbrella which i'm sitting on. ¤££$%%:~.,
.-»=†£&£¶@ @¶£&£†=»-.
,,¨,~=*$§@ * @§$*=~,¨,,
.:~»^^**¤& &¤**^^»~:.
¨,.¨.~»/=£ somethings moving in the grass. it's £=/»~.¨.,¨
¨~»/=§#### invisible to my eyes but i can feel ####§=/»~¨
,.¨.,.=¤## through the ground just how large it is. ##¤=.,.¨.,
..=:*$@£## ##£@$*:=..
,-»**%£¶#@ the soil is muddy. i slip when trying @#¶£%**»-,
.^=:†£@@## to get up, still looking at the ##@@£†:=^.
.^»^*&#### direction of sound rather than at my ####&*^»^.
,-=:§¤@@## hands, who are busy putting things in ##@@¤§:=-,
¨¨.¨«\$*## my pockets. ##*$\«¨.¨¨
.:«†$$£### ###£$$†«:.
¨:~:%&£¶## then i run east toward my home. ##¶£&%:~:¨
.~-^%&#§@£ £@§#&%^-~.
..¨.,,»;£# \ #£;»,,.¨..
¨,.,;%=@¶¶ ¶¶@=%;,.,¨
.,,,¨.,;%& i am not followed, and slow down in the &%;,.¨,,,.
.,~:*¤£### clearing where you at first can spot ###£¤*:~,.
.:-^$&#### the house, not yet really in the ####&$^-:.
¨.»†§¤@##@ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my @##@¤§†».¨
¨.«^^%#¶## radio (now dented) but also a small ##¶#%^^«.¨
¨---=;:§$@ clay figure i've never seen before. it @$§:;=---¨
..~†%$§@@# must have been laying in the wet dirt, #@@§$%†~..
¨:-†=*&#@# and i must've picked it up with my #@#&*=†-:¨
,:-^$§@@@# other belongings. #@@@§$^-:,
,¨,,-~\@@@ @@@\~-,,¨,
¨~~=*@££#@ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked @#££@*=~~¨
¨,~;§%@&*# on her stomach, feet in the air, #*&@%§;~,¨
¨¨,«;^%¤§@ roughly seven centimeters long. it's @§¤%^;«,¨¨
.:~:$%&£## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##£&%$:~:.
,.~*\*§%¤@ @¤%§*\*~.,
.:«:%££¶#@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @#¶££%:«:.
¨¨¨.-=««§£ particle board for it to dry on, but £§««=-.¨¨¨
¨,=^*%@### she is worried and wants me to ###@%*^=,¨
,~~^$@@### throw it away. ###@@$^~~,
¨,,-»†$%¤@ @¤%$†»-,,¨
,,~:§£¤@¶# #¶@¤£§:~,,
.,-*§£&### ###&£§*-,.
,-~/%¤@¶## ##¶@¤%/~-,
¨,~**:$$¤§ §¤$$:**~,¨
,¨,-»%*$£¶ ¶£$*%»-,¨,