..,,:~*%@@ @@%*~:,,..
,,.¨¨:»\§£ £§\»:¨¨.,,
¨¨,,¨¨.~\$ $\~.¨¨,,¨¨
,,,¨,,..=^ ^=..,,¨,,,
¨¨,¨,¨¨,^~ ~^,¨¨,¨,¨¨
.¨¨,.¨¨:~; statuette ;~:¨¨.,¨¨.
..,,¨.:«:$ $:«:.¨,,..
¨¨,..--;%¤ %*%$§£%§*$¤§%$$$~~--~«~»£&$§$§$*¤%££§¤%$ ¤%;--..,¨¨
,.,¨^«*£§@ §@£$$%$*$ @§£*«^¨,.,
,.¨~~;*@#@ @#@*;~~¨.,
¨,~~=$§£## forests around my childhood home. thick ##£§$=~~,¨
.-»/§##@## 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. ###@¤$*~,¨
,,,-;&@### ###@&;-,,,
¨,,:~*£§## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##§£*~:,,¨
.,,¨.=^&£¶ particle board for it to dry on, but ¶£&^=.¨,,.
¨¨.,¨~»;¤& she is worried and wants me to &¤;»~¨,.¨¨
.¨¨¨¨¨.»:* throw it away. *:».¨¨¨¨¨.
.¨¨¨,¨,.-\ \-.,¨,¨¨¨.
¨¨.,¨¨¨,^» »^,¨¨¨,.¨¨
.¨.,,.¨^»† †»^¨.,,.¨.
,,,.,,^~=$ $=~^,,.,,,
..,,,:«^&& &&^«:,,,..
.¨,¨.~:§@@ @@§:~.¨,¨.