,.=\$£¤@## ##@¤£$\=.,
..~*%@£¶## ##¶£@%*~..
,:»\=£@@## ##@@£=\»:,
,-=**@££## ##££@**=-,
¨.-=§§§#@@ @@#§§§=-.¨
,~»\†%#@## statuette ##@#%†\»~,
¨¨...=%&&@ @&&%=...¨¨
.:«*§%§@## ££$¤$&$&*%&$@£$*«--~==»«*§%$$¤£%§§£$$$%£ ##@§%§*«:.
¨.;^$@#### %§££&@££& ####@$^;.¨
,:~†§§&@@# #@@&§§†~:,
¨,=*%$†^££ forests around my childhood home. thick ££^†$%*=,¨
¨¨.-:^%@## 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 @£&$%=--~.
¨,-=%§££## throw it away. ##££§%=-,¨
,,,:.~-**¤ ¤**-~.:,,,
,.¨¨.,«*£@ @£*«,.¨¨.,
,..,¨:.=££ ££=.:¨,..,
....~»:^§¤ ¤§^:»~....
.-~:=%#@## ##@#%=:~-.
¨¨..~,«$*£ £*$«,~..¨¨