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