.,,.-:=%¤# #¤%=:-.,,.
,:=:=£§### ###§£=:=:,
.-=\§*&¶## ##¶&*§\=-.
¨¨,:==††@# #@††==:,¨¨
¨~«=^@&### ###&@^=«~¨
.^;§%¤@@## 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, @&£$\»»¨¨.
.,~†%*£#@# roughly seven centimeters long. it's #@#£*%†~,.
.,»:*@£@## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##@£@*:»,.
,~-/*££#@# #@#££*/-~,
..,¨^-:^§@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @§^:-^¨,..
..¨.,;§%¤# particle board for it to dry on, but #¤%§;,.¨..
,,=%@¤@### she is worried and wants me to ###@¤@%=,,
.-~*%%£##¶ throw it away. ¶##£%%*~-.
.~«^**#¶## ##¶#**^«~.
¨..,~\%%&# #&%%\~,..¨
,,=*%§@@#@ @#@@§%*=,,
¨-»†^$#### ####$^†»-¨
.~~;^$#@## ##@#$^;~~.
..~;%##### #####%;~..