,--\†@£### ###£@†\--,
,:~^%%£### ###£%%^~:,
¨,,¨-==§£@ @£§==-¨,,¨
¨.«=:=†*¤@ @¤*†=:=«.¨
¨..~«/:* #&*:/«~..¨
.~»/§££### 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 #%$/:«¨..¨
.,=;%£¤£## she is worried and wants me to ##£¤£%;=,.
,-«:*££@@# throw it away. #@@££*:«-,
..»==%£### ###£%==»..
,,,.~;*§ #&§*;~.,,,
¨~»\*££@## ##@££*\»~¨
,,::,»=%@£ £@%=»,::,,
,^»\%$§@## ##@§$%\»^,
,.»»~/£¤@@ @@¤£/~»».,