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