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