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