..~,~\$&&¶ ¶&&$\~,~..
¨~~=$¤£¶@# #@¶£¤$=~~¨
,,-^†£&### ###&£†^-,,
.-~*§&§¶## ##¶§&§*~-.
.,¨¨,,=§*& &*§=,,¨¨,.
,,»†^£&### statuette ###&£^†»,,
.~=;=£¤@## ##@¤£=;=~.
¨,-;=%¤£## *£%@%@*$¤*@££@@&=~=~~~~~**££$@¤*%$£@%£%* ##£¤%=;-,¨
¨.¨¨,-†^§& §¤££*¤%£$ &§^†-,¨¨.¨
.,,¨-==¤@# #@¤==-¨,,.
,¨,,=$=%&@ forests around my childhood home. thick @&%=$=,,¨,
..«\†%£### 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. @¤/~-..,,.
..,,«--*#£ £#*--«,,..
,^=\*$¤¶@# #@¶¤$*\=^,
.,-^§£#@@# #@@#£§^-,.
¨.¨¨.¨:*&¤ ¤&*:¨.¨¨.¨
,-«†^£§#@# #@#§£^†«-,
.¨¨-=^=%££ ££%=^=-¨¨.