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