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