.,=†*%§### ###§%*†=,.
.,-^*%&£@# #@£&%*^-,.
.¨¨,=-=^&¶ ¶&^=-=,¨¨.
,,,.¨.;$§# #§$;.¨.,,,
,~»:*$@£## ##£@$*:»~,
.:»\*$¤@#@ statuette @#@¤$*\»:.
¨~~/$§&@@# #@@&§$/~~¨
.,~;*§=¤#@ ¤$$$¤§@££&$$£@%&~»=~~~~-@*&££$£@&*$@§§$$ @#¤=§*;~,.
.,¨,,~»*§# %$%%$*¤$£ #§*»~,,¨,.
,^«†**#### ####**†«^,
,~«^%£¤@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@¤£%^«~,
.^~^%£££@# pine arcades that were planted and #@£££%^~^.
.:»†%@#£@@ forgotten. wild boars roaming @@£#@%†»:.
,,~\^*£#@# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #@#£*^\~,,
.,~;§¤@#£# is dark and moist, the canopy having #£#@¤§;~,.
¨:~:*§&¶## already soaked up all the sun. ##¶&§*:~:¨
¨,=^*$@¶## ##¶@$*^=,¨
.^~/*%%%£# there's a river passing by, from east #£%%%*/~^.
.,,,,,-$%£ to west, getting broader and deeper and £%$-,,,,,.
.¨,¨¨¨:/%¤ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¤%/:¨¨¨,¨.
¨.,¨,^»=£¶ where the pine hands start to let ¶£=»^,¨,.¨
.-.~«;@#&& through light, horsemint on the rocky &&#@;«~.-.
¨--;^¤¤£#@ river bed. @#£¤¤^;--¨
¨~~^§@§¶## ##¶§@§^~~¨
¨.,¨.-=*¤£ ^ £¤*=-.¨,.¨
,,.»/*%§&# #&§%*/».,,
,.¨,~;$£#£ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight £#£$;~,¨.,
¨,,,~/†*%¶ they had been a swampworld with sylvan ¶%*†/~,,,¨
¨.»;*£&£## water, stone rings and floating moss. ##£&£*;».¨
¨¨¨^.~%§£# you could've found me wallowing around #£§%~.^¨¨¨
.¨,¨,,¨~$£ on the southern shores until i got £$~¨,,¨,¨.
.~=/†¤#£## bitten. ##£#¤†/=~.
¨~=:%$&£@# #@£&$%:=~¨
.,«^^*@#@# but now i'm further back, on solid #@#@*^^«,.
¨-=/:$%§@£ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an £@§%$:/=-¨
¨,«^=$¤&££ orange tin radio and a translucent ££&¤$=^«,¨
,,»;$@&@@# umbrella which i'm sitting on. #@@&@$;»,,
,¨¨:-\§£¤# #¤£§\-:¨¨,
,,¨.,,^=£# / #£=^,,.¨,,
..¨¨.,\&#@ @#&\,.¨¨..
.¨,.,;=*££ somethings moving in the grass. it's ££*=;,.,¨.
¨:~/%%@£## invisible to my eyes but i can feel ##£@%%/~:¨
¨^~†§£&### through the ground just how large it is. ###&£§†~^¨
¨¨...,«*%@ @%*«,...¨¨
¨~~†*@@@## the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ##@@@*†~~¨
,,«:$$#@@# 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. &$«¨¨,,¨¨.
.¨¨^»-^%&§ §&%^-»^¨¨.
.,»\*@%@¤¶ ¶¤@%@*\»,.
¨,«=†$&#@@ @@#&$†=«,¨
,^~†^%£@## ##@£%^†~^,
.^~:,/†&¤& &¤&†/,:~^.
,.,.-»*£¤& &¤£*»-.,.,