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