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