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