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