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