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