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