,.»†^%#£@# #@£#%^†».,
.,«^:/†§£# #£§†/:^«,.
¨¨-«»:*%#¤ ¤#%*:»«-¨¨
,:~:==**#@ @#**==:~:,
.-~;§§$&£¤ ¤£&$§§;~-.
¨^-:=£@### 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. #£##§$\=:,
¨,,..~«~=¤ ¤=~«~..,,¨
,~»^%@¤@@@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @@@¤@%^»~,
¨^=†*¤@@## particle board for it to dry on, but ##@@¤*†=^¨
,.,.-~==†@ she is worried and wants me to @†==~-.,.,
,:»*^§@### throw it away. ###@§^*»:,
.¨¨¨.,;††¤ ¤††;,.¨¨¨.
.:-:=¤¤@@# #@@¤¤=:-:.
,,-/$&@### ###@&$/-,,
¨..,~**$§¤ ¤§$**~,..¨
¨-»†*%&### ###&%*†»-¨
,:»:†£@@## ##@@£†:»:,