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