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