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