¨:~^%§£@@# #@@£§%^~:¨
.~-\*\$#@# #@#$\*\-~.
¨¨¨¨.^$¤§@ @§¤$^.¨¨¨¨
,,.,¨-=*&¶ ¶&*=-¨,.,,
,.,:~*§£¶# #¶£§*~:,.,
,¨.,«/†*=£ statuette £=*†/«,.¨,
..¨¨¨«=/=# #=/=«¨¨¨..
,.¨¨¨..«=# &%$$$$*£$£%$*$¤&~«-=««~=¤$@£$§¤&§&$*$%&& #=«..¨¨¨.,
¨¨.-\%¤%@@ %*@$%%%%$ @@%¤%\-.¨¨
.:=†§¤£### ###£¤§†=:.
.,~:%$@@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@@$%:~,.
¨~-:$&§£@# pine arcades that were planted and #@£§&$:-~¨
.:=;†&@#@# forgotten. wild boars roaming #@#@&†;=:.
.¨.,¨~††## underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ##††~¨,.¨.
.:««-\/$&# is dark and moist, the canopy having #&$/\-««:.
,.,¨-†$&&£ already soaked up all the sun. £&&$†-¨,.,
,~«†*£¤#@# #@#¤£*†«~,
,¨¨¨:*\@&@ there's a river passing by, from east @&@\*:¨¨¨,
,^=»-§%&## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##&%§-»=^,
¨,«=^@§¶@# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #@¶§@^=«,¨
.~=^*$#£## where the pine hands start to let ##£#$*^=~.
,~«*%¤#£#@ through light, horsemint on the rocky @#£#¤%*«~,
¨.,.¨~$%@§ river bed. §@%$~¨.,.¨
¨:~†^&§### ###§&^†~:¨
,-»:*§#@## ^ ##@#§*:»-,
.:~^*§&£#@ @#£&§*^~:.
,~~:*¤##@# the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #@##¤*:~~,
.,,.-\:*%£ they had been a swampworld with sylvan £%*:\-.,,.
..,-^\%@§£ water, stone rings and floating moss. £§@%\^-,..
,.»^%$££## you could've found me wallowing around ##££$%^».,
,-«;*$@£## on the southern shores until i got ##£@$*;«-,
,,.¨¨.=%@§ bitten. §@%=.¨¨.,,
¨-~**£@@@# #@@@£**~-¨
,^«;§&¤@## but now i'm further back, on solid ##@¤&§;«^,
,,,.,^.;^@ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an @^;.^,.,,,
.~»^*$&£§# orange tin radio and a translucent #§£&$*^»~.
¨,,¨.«=*£¤ umbrella which i'm sitting on. ¤£*=«.¨,,¨
,¨...,«\£& &£\«,...¨,
,,..^:,*%£ † £%*,:^..,,
,^-†=%&@@# #@@&%=†-^,
,,-=^£§¶## somethings moving in the grass. it's ##¶§£^=-,,
¨¨¨,,~»$## invisible to my eyes but i can feel ##$»~,,¨¨¨
.¨.¨,=††## through the ground just how large it is. ##††=,¨.¨.
.-»;†££##@ @##££†;»-.
¨~-^^@&@## the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ##@&@^^-~¨
¨,,¨,»%%¤@ to get up, still looking at the @¤%%»,¨,,¨
.-~;**&@## direction of sound rather than at my ##@&**;~-.
,-.-,:$&@@ hands, who are busy putting things in @@&$:,-.-,
.,»/§$¤#@# my pockets. #@#¤$§/»,.
¨:»/%£$$¶# #¶$$£%/»:¨
,...^;\*¤# then i run east toward my home. #¤*\;^...,
.-~;$%$¤£@ @£¤$%$;~-.
,...,††@## * ##@††,...,
.~:*%&¶@## ##@¶&%*:~.
.,=\%£¤@## i am not followed, and slow down in the ##@¤£%\=,.
.:»^^££&£@ clearing where you at first can spot @£&££^^»:.
¨.~\*£¤£@# the house, not yet really in the #@£¤£*\~.¨
,:~^£¤@### backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ###@¤£^~:,
.¨,,,.»*%# radio (now dented) but also a small #%*».,,,¨.
¨-»††=$§§@ clay figure i've never seen before. it @§§$=††»-¨
.~»;=&§### must have been laying in the wet dirt, ###§&=;»~.
.:»:=%¤@@@ and i must've picked it up with my @@@¤%=:»:.
¨,«/*£#### other belongings. ####£*/«,¨
¨-=†%¤#### ####¤%†=-¨
,.«/^£#@#@ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked @#@#£^/«.,
¨:»†:†$§£# on her stomach, feet in the air, #£§$†:†»:¨
,,»\†%£@## roughly seven centimeters long. it's ##@£%†\»,,
,.¨,¨¨»=$¤ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ¤$=»¨¨,¨.,
.~-;$*@### ###@*$;-~.
.,-:»*†%@£ my mom is here now. i ask her for some £@%†*»:-,.
¨:~*%£@£## particle board for it to dry on, but ##£@£%*~:¨
¨,»=~††##@ she is worried and wants me to @##††~=»,¨
.^«=%$##@@ throw it away. @@##$%=«^.
¨^~**£@@## ##@@£**~^¨
¨,.¨¨,.;¤¶ ¶¤;.,¨¨.,¨
¨...~:«\£@ @£\«:~...¨
,-«;$$¤##@ @##¤$$;«-,
¨,-;*¤£#@# #@#£¤*;-,¨
¨,~†$%¤@## ##@¤%$†~,¨