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