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