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