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