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