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