¨¨¨¨,:=†%$ $%†=:,¨¨¨¨
¨.,.¨,~«=§ §=«~,¨.,.¨
..,.,¨.,»= =»,.¨,.,..
.,¨.,¨,=^* *^=,¨,.¨,.
..,,.:-/^$ $^/-:.,,..
,,,¨:~\$&£ statuette £&$\~:¨,,,
...-=^*§@# #@§*^=-...
¨¨,-*§%£## ¤§§$¤¤§*§%$£££&&-~--~=»~£&%%&$£§£&&%%@%& ##£%§*-,¨¨
.,»\†*@@## %££%@$$*@ ##@@*†\»,.
.,-~^†%¶## ##¶%†^~-,.
,.,~«=*$¶# forests around my childhood home. thick #¶$*=«~,.,
.¨,.:«†^££ 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. §%;=,.,.¨,
..¨¨,,.«*% %*«.,,¨¨..
,,¨..¨,-~^ ^~-,¨..¨,,
,,,.¨.,«** **«,.¨.,,,
.,.,¨:~/^£ £^/~:¨,.,.
¨..,.»;*¤@ @¤*;».,..¨
,¨,,«;*&£# #£&*;«,,¨,