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