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