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