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