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