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