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