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