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