¨-»†^£§£## ##£§£^†»-¨
.,-=*;$@&# #&@$;*=-,.
...,~/†%£@ @£%†/~,...
,:~=§$#### ####$§=~:,
.¨,~~=†£¤# #¤£†=~~,¨.
,:»^^¤§¶## 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 ¤$$=~.¨¨,.
..~^$&§### clearing where you at first can spot ###§&$^~..
¨,¨..«*§@@ the house, not yet really in the @@§*«..¨,¨
¨,.,.¨,~%¤ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ¤%~,¨.,.,¨
.~»:$@@¶#@ radio (now dented) but also a small @#¶@@$:»~.
.~»^^$&¶## clay figure i've never seen before. it ##¶&$^^»~.
,,,~==/=@¤ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¤@=/==~,,,
.~«:§&@### and i must've picked it up with my ###@&§:«~.
,,~*%¤§@## other belongings. ##@§¤%*~,,
¨.¨.,«/£#£ £#£/«,.¨.¨
¨¨,¨¨¨-=*@ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked @*=-¨¨¨,¨¨
.,»*§¤££@# on her stomach, feet in the air, #@££¤§*»,.
¨,=:%*@@@# roughly seven centimeters long. it's #@@@*%:=,¨
,,-:%§¤@## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##@¤§%:-,,
¨-~;*@££## ##££@*;~-¨
,^==†£@@## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##@@£†==^,
,-~^%§#@@£ particle board for it to dry on, but £@@#§%^~-,
,.-^†%*†@@ she is worried and wants me to @@†*%†^-.,
.-«*;=£&£@ throw it away. @£&£=;*«-.
¨.,¨¨.,;=¤ ¤=;,.¨¨,.¨
.~~:^£&@## ##@&£^:~~.
¨~«=$$@##@ @##@$$=«~¨
,,,¨¨.-«*& &*«-.¨¨,,,
¨~~^*¤¤### ###¤¤*^~~¨
,-»:^¤£&&£ £&&£¤^:»-,