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