..»^*£#@@# #@@#£*^»..
..,-~;=§*# #*§=;~-,..
¨¨,,,:*=†§ §†=*:,,,¨¨
¨,~;%£§£## ##£§£%;~,¨
.,~:*$#@## ##@#$*:~,.
,¨¨..¨~$*& statuette &*$~¨..¨¨,
¨¨¨.,.«*#¤ ¤#*«.,.¨¨¨
¨,~:§%§$@@ ¤&§@$£$%@&%$¤§%¤~=~~«»-~£&@&%&£*&%%@$¤&& @@$§%§:~,¨
.-~*%%¤£## %$$@%%§@% ##£¤%%*~-.
¨-~\^@&¶## ##¶&@^\~-¨
,,¨~;%@*§@ forests around my childhood home. thick @§*@%;~¨,,
..~/^\/£## pine arcades that were planted and ##£/\^/~..
.^~^^£##@# forgotten. wild boars roaming #@##£^^~^.
..»=%$@#£@ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @£#@$%=»..
¨,¨,..~^¤@ is dark and moist, the canopy having @¤^~..,¨,¨
¨.¨,¨¨-/&# already soaked up all the sun. #&/-¨¨,¨.¨
,,..^,/^£¤ ¤£^/,^..,,
,.~^*¤@@## there's a river passing by, from east ##@@¤*^~.,
.^»\^*¤£## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##£¤*^\»^.
,,~:$$§¶@# 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. #¶#§*;^:..
,.,^-%**¤@ @¤**%-^,.,
,,=;†*£¤¤¤ ¤¤¤£*†;=,,
¨~=;*££### ###££*;=~¨
..~^†%&¤££ ££¤&%†^~..
,^~~=*%*&¤ ¤&*%*=~~^,
,..,.»;%#@ @#%;».,..,