¨-~:*$#@## ##@#$*:~-¨
,:-=$%&¤£# #£¤&%$=-:,
.,=;§%#¤@# #@¤#%§;=,.
,-~\=%¤@@# #@@¤%=\~-,
.¨,¨,.-/*§ §*/-.,¨,¨.
,~-\%££¶@# 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. @@£&$%;-,.
..»=%$£@@# #@@£$%=»..
.,,~-»/&#£ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked £#&/»-~,,.
¨,-**%¤@## on her stomach, feet in the air, ##@¤%**-,¨
,,¨..-;;£# roughly seven centimeters long. it's #£;;-..¨,,
¨,-:†@#@@# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #@@#@†:-,¨
.¨,¨~†$*@£ £@*$†~¨,¨.
.,«/†*¤£## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##£¤*†/«,.
¨--††§#£#@ particle board for it to dry on, but @#£#§††--¨
,,~:**&### she is worried and wants me to ###&**:~,,
¨,^:«:¤§@@ throw it away. @@§¤:«:^,¨
.-~/=$¤£@# #@£¤$=/~-.
,¨.¨,,-^@# #@^-,,¨.¨,
¨¨.¨,~=§&@ @&§=~,¨.¨¨
¨.»:^@&¶@# #@¶&@^:».¨
¨~»**@&$## ##$&@**»~¨
,:-:*@#@## ##@#@*:-:,