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