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