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