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