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