.,»=§$&¶@# #@¶&$§=»,.
¨.,~*$%¤## ##¤%$*~,.¨
¨¨.,-^=&¤@ @¤&=^-,.¨¨
¨..~;†%@@# #@@%†;~..¨
,~~/^£#£## ##£#£^/~~,
¨¨.»:%$££@ statuette @££$%:».¨¨
,,,:~;=%¤£ £¤%=;~:,,,
,.~«=%¤@## $£*¤%§*££¤$§§@¤%»«~«~»=«¤$%*£@£&@$$§$@&¤ ##@¤%=«~.,
.-~†%£&#@# £@¤%*£%$% #@#&£%†~-.
,.~»\*%£@@ @@£%*\»~.,
.,,-~*^%&@ forests around my childhood home. thick @&%^*~-,,.
,,,~;§£§£@ pine arcades that were planted and @£§£§;~,,,
,,»/*$££## forgotten. wild boars roaming ##££$*/»,,
¨,^=;%¤¤@@ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @@¤¤%;=^,¨
.,.:«:%£¤£ is dark and moist, the canopy having £¤£%:«:.,.
,,~==*$@@# already soaked up all the sun. #@@$*==~,,
¨,~\*%&£## ##£&%*\~,¨
..-~=†*&£# there's a river passing by, from east #£&*†=~-..
.¨¨.~=§£#@ to west, getting broader and deeper and @#£§=~.¨¨.
,,,=\$%¤¶# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #¶¤%$\=,,,
..«^†¤£@@# where the pine hands start to let #@@£¤†^«..
¨,.»^§§##@ through light, horsemint on the rocky @##§§^».,¨
,.¨,»/†&£@ river bed. @£&†/»,¨.,
.,:»:$$&¶# #¶&$$:»:,.
.-»;†§§### † ###§§†;»-.
¨,,=†=§¤£# #£¤§=†=,,¨
.¨¨,=:%$§£ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight £§$%:=,¨¨.
.¨,~/%§@## 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 #@@#$^*=:.
,,:==%¤¤@# on her stomach, feet in the air, #@¤¤%==:,,
.,.^«*§¤£¶ roughly seven centimeters long. it's ¶£¤§*«^.,.
¨,,«^**&#@ freshly made, not yet completely dried. @#&**^«,,¨
.~«=†§#@@# #@@#§†=«~.
¨¨~=**§£## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##£§**=~¨¨
¨,.-~/*%## particle board for it to dry on, but ##%*/~-.,¨
,¨^=†%§@#@ she is worried and wants me to @#@§%†=^¨,
¨^~;=%£### throw it away. ###£%=;~^¨
.,.=*^%£@# #@£%^*=.,.
¨¨.-«;=*§# #§*=;«-.¨¨
.¨~=:=$§@@ @@§$=:=~¨.
¨.-;§&£### ###£&§;-.¨
,.~~†*%#@# #@#%*†~~.,
,,¨,~:*$&@ @&$*:~,¨,,