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