¨¨,.«\$%&@ @&%$\«.,¨¨
¨,¨¨,«;†%£ £%†;«,¨¨,¨
,¨¨¨¨,~==$ $==~,¨¨¨¨,
,.,.¨,~-†^ ^†-~,¨.,.,
.¨¨..:«\§£ £§\«:..¨¨.
..¨.~-:=&@ statuette @&=:-~.¨..
..¨--:%¤¤@ @¤¤%:--¨..
..-=;%@@@# £¤$£§%&§*$¤@&§%*~«~«~=~~§%£%£*£$£@£*¤£¤* #@@@%;=-..
,,»;*£¤£## @%£*$%£&@ ##£¤£*;»,,
¨.,~;**&@# #@&**;~,.¨
.,¨:~^^¤@# forests around my childhood home. thick #@¤^^~:¨,.
,.¨.-«\%@# pine arcades that were planted and #@%\«-.¨.,
,,.¨.~~†%¤ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¤%†~~.¨.,,
..,.,.^«=§ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it §=«^.,.,..
..,¨¨.~\%* is dark and moist, the canopy having *%\~.¨¨,..
¨¨,.,»==£& already soaked up all the sun. &£==»,.,¨¨
¨,..~=^% #&%^=~..,¨
...==§£¤## there's a river passing by, from east ##¤£§==...
¨.=†§$#@## 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. §*^«:¨.,,¨
,.,.,¨-»†* *†»-¨,.,.,
..¨...=^=¤ ¤=^=...¨..
.,,,~-:**¤ ¤**:-~,,,.
¨.¨~~/**§@ @§**/~~¨.¨
¨.~«/§¤¤## ##¤¤§/«~.¨
¨~~*$$£#@# #@#£$$*~~¨