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