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