,¨^=:*%@## ##@%*:=^¨,
,,.~-††%#@ @#%††-~.,,
.¨,~**@£¶# #¶£@**~,¨.
.~=:%&££## ##££&%:=~.
.¨,~\%£&@# #@&£%\~,¨.
.,,^-\=§&# 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 #¶&%%=--,¨
¨-«=^$£### she is worried and wants me to ###£$^=«-¨
,,,~==$§#@ throw it away. @#§$==~,,,
¨,¨,-^=$§@ @§$=^-,¨,¨
,¨~»††£&£@ @£&£††»~¨,
,,»;$&@@## ##@@&$;»,,
¨.^»*%$§¶# #¶§$%*»^.¨
¨¨,~=^%$@# #@$%^=~,¨¨
,¨,=\†¤¤@# #@¤¤†\=,¨,