,.¨,.,,^£& &£^,,.,¨.,
.^-*§¤@£## ##£@¤§*-^.
¨-.,~=*†¤# #¤†*=~,.-¨
¨..,.,~=£# #£=~,.,..¨
,,.¨.¨^;%¤ ¤%;^¨.¨.,,
,,,.:/$### statuette ###$/:.,,,
¨-~*^¤#@@# #@@#¤^*~-¨
¨¨¨..,:\$£ ¤££¤$$@$%%&§&£$%~-~-«~~~£££&§%*¤¤§%*$§$£ £$\:,..¨¨¨
.--/§@£@## ¤*£$£$*&$ ##@£@§/--.
,-~/=$¤@@@ @@@¤$=/~-,
,¨-,-;§¤## forests around my childhood home. thick ##¤§;-,-¨,
¨¨,::\*%@# pine arcades that were planted and #@%*\::,¨¨
.:»=~:;*£¤ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¤£*;:~=»:.
..~^%&@### underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ###@&%^~..
¨-«:§¤§#@# is dark and moist, the canopy having #@#§¤§:«-¨
¨.-^§£#### already soaked up all the sun. ####£§^-.¨
.¨.¨¨-«=&£ £&=«-¨¨.¨.
¨,...¨«$&& there's a river passing by, from east &&$«¨...,¨
¨.-=†*@£## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##£@*†=-.¨
¨^=/§£#&@¶ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¶@&#£§/=^¨
,~,»=\@@#& where the pine hands start to let &#@@\=»,~,
.:»-~=:@@& through light, horsemint on the rocky &@@:=~-»:.
.-«††$¤£## river bed. ##£¤$††«-.
.,«^%&¤#£¶ ¶£#¤&%^«,.
.,~*†£#¶## \ ##¶#£†*~,.
.^~/*%#### ####%*/~^.
¨,»=%%§### the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ###§%%=»,¨
,~-==*§£## they had been a swampworld with sylvan ##£§*==-~,
.,~*=£¤¶@# water, stone rings and floating moss. #@¶¤£=*~,.
,,,..~;^@£ you could've found me wallowing around £@^;~..,,,
.,,¨«/=$$£ 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. ###¶@*†«-.
.-»=*$@### ###@$*=»-.
,,«~=*†§%¶ ¶%§†*=~«,,
..-*§%#@## ##@#%§*-..
.,¨.¨.-;£§ §£;-.¨.¨,.
,.»:§^%#&¤ ¤&#%^§:».,
,,,¨.«^†$@ @$†^«.¨,,,