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