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