¨,~/^¤@### ###@¤^/~,¨
,~~:§$§### ###§$§:~~,
¨,.:~.«=¤# #¤=«.~:.,¨
.^~;^%§¶## ##¶§%^;~^.
.,¨¨¨~*%@@ @@%*~¨¨¨,.
,,¨.¨-††££ 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. ££$=-»,.,.
¨,~\;=$§#@ @#§$=;\~,¨
..¨.¨^::§# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #§::^¨.¨..
¨.¨¨,~=*&# particle board for it to dry on, but #&*=~,¨¨.¨
.,~=**&### she is worried and wants me to ###&**=~,.
.^==*§§### throw it away. ###§§*==^.
.,»:*£*$@£ £@$*£*:»,.
.-»^†$§@## ##@§$†^»-.
¨:=;*¤@@## ##@@¤*;=:¨
^~\†§££@## ##@££§†\~^
,^»;*%&### ###&%*;»^,
¨~~/**¤### ###¤**/~~¨