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