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