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