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