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