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