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