¨,~**:*£££ £££*:**~,¨
..~††$$£## ##£$$††~..
¨~-\†§##@@ @@##§†\-~¨
.,.¨¨.~†§# #§†~.¨¨.,.
¨-=\%§@@@# #@@@§%\=-¨
.-~=†$£##£ statuette £##£$†=~-.
¨-~*=£##£# #£##£=*~-¨
.,.,¨-/\*¤ %@$$£$&%¤¤§$§%$*-»«»««~-*$$§£*£¤*$*&$@*$ ¤*\/-¨,.,.
,¨¨,.-;$## ¤¤%%£%£*£ ##$;-.,¨¨,
,^»*%§¤### ###¤§%*»^,
,--^$£@@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@@£$^--,
¨,-\*@¤£## 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 #@£&£$†»,.
,,«=^£§£## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##£§£^=«,,
¨,.~†^£%¤@ @¤%£^†~.,¨
.^»;*%##@# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #@##%*;»^.
.,-^†£#@## particle board for it to dry on, but ##@#£†^-,.
,.«†^£#@## she is worried and wants me to ##@#£^†«.,
,,===£&### throw it away. ###&£===,,
.,,.,:*&@& &@&*:,.,,.
¨:~^†/&&&@ @&&&/†^~:¨
¨,,~«~^*^¤ ¤^*^~«~,,¨
.,»=†£@£## ##£@£†=»,.
,^»^*$¤### ###¤$*^»^,
¨¨¨¨¨.»*§@ @§*».¨¨¨¨¨