..-«:^£¤@# #@¤£^:«-..
.,,:»†=¤## ##¤=†»:,,.
,¨^~\*£¤¶# #¶¤£*\~^¨,
.^-*%%@£## ##£@%%*-^.
,,--^%&### ###&%^--,,
.¨.,~:$@§¶ statuette ¶§@$:~,.¨.
¨¨:~/^§@£# #£@§^/~:¨¨
,:»;%¤@£## ¤§$&*£¤§$$$*$£%@--«-~~-»@¤$*££*&*£*£&£¤£ ##£@¤%;»:,
,,^~\*$#@# *£&§@¤%$£ #@#$*\~^,,
..,,=/^§§@ @§§^/=,,..
,¨-~\*$&## forests around my childhood home. thick ##&$*\~-¨,
¨,=†=£§£## pine arcades that were planted and ##£§£=†=,¨
,¨:=†$*£## forgotten. wild boars roaming ##£*$†=:¨,
,¨,~-\$$&# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #&$$\-~,¨,
¨,:~^=&££# 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 @@£§$\~,,,
,,=;*%@### she is worried and wants me to ###@%*;=,,
¨.:=†%£§@@ throw it away. @@§£%†=:.¨
,..,~;§*§# #§*§;~,..,
.¨^~\%¤&£# #£&¤%\~^¨.
¨-»;$*¤@## ##@¤*$;»-¨
¨.:-*§£@#@ @#@£§*-:.¨
,.¨~«/*&¤# #¤&*/«~¨.,
,¨~»*§§### ###§§*»~¨,