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