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