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