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