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