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