,,=^%%†§#@ @#§†%%^=,,
,~»\^*#¶## ##¶#*^\»~,
¨:«^=£&¶@# #@¶&£=^«:¨
¨.~=-:*¤#¶ ¶#¤*:-=~.¨
..,~~=~~$@ @$~~=~~,..
,:-/*$#£## statuette ##£#$*/-:,
.,=:=%£### ###£%=:=,.
.~«\*%## *§&%££%%*§$&§@$§~«=~»»»»&%£$@%£*£%%*%$§£ ###&%*\«~.
,^~=%*¤### £¤%%$£££* ###¤*%=~^,
,¨.¨,,^=§# #§=^,,¨.¨,
.,~;*¤¶@ forests around my childhood home. thick @¶¤#&*;~,.
,,~^*££$£# 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 ##£%».,¨¨¨
¨^»^$%¤@## throw it away. ##@¤%$^»^¨
,~~†§$£#@# #@#£$§†~~,
,==*&££### ###££&*==,
¨¨,.¨.~~§@ @§~~.¨.,¨¨
¨:»/%$¤@## ##@¤$%/»:¨
.¨.,«$=&%& &%&=$«,.¨.
,¨,¨,.«=@# #@=«.,¨,¨,