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