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