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