,,-=†@#@## ##@#@†=-,,
.¨,^~=%&¶# #¶&%=~^,¨.
....-~$£§¶ ¶§£$~-....
¨¨,,~^$£¶# #¶£$^~,,¨¨
¨,-~=§#### ####§=~-,¨
¨.~$*@#### statuette ####@*$~.¨
.,,«^££### ###££^«,,.
¨,..-$$¤@@ %£$%£%£¤$%*££*§$»~-~-=»~¤£%&%@§%§*&§%$&$ @@¤$$-..,¨
,.,,,=§§&¶ $%$&¤*$§& ¶&§§=,,,.,
,¨¨^~%£@## ##@£%~^¨¨,
¨¨~-%§## forests around my childhood home. thick ###&§%-~¨¨
¨^«*&@#@## pine arcades that were planted and ##@#@&*«^¨
.,.=%%## forgotten. wild boars roaming ###&%%=.,.
.¨¨^~=§@¶# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #¶@§=~^¨¨.
,,¨¨~«§£££ is dark and moist, the canopy having £££§«~¨¨,,
.,,.~=&£## already soaked up all the sun. ##£&=~.,,.
¨.,«%%££@# #@££%%«,.¨
,,=$¤#@@## 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. ##@£%=»..,
...~-*£££@ @£££*-~...
¨.,¨:»=%@@ @@%=»:¨,.¨
.,..~^§&@# #@&§^~..,.
.¨:«§£§### ###§£§«:¨.
¨.~%£§£@## ##@£§£%~.¨
,,-~^¤&£## ##£&¤^~-,,