.,,,,~§@@# #@@§~,,,,.
,¨.¨.^\†%£ £%†\^.¨.¨,
¨..~«/†*%£ £%*†/«~..¨
.=:§£### ####&£§:=.
¨^=^\;§^¤# #¤^§;\^=^¨
¨¨¨,¨«~/$§ statuette §$/~«¨,¨¨¨
,.«:%*§##@ @##§*%:«.,
,~-*$@¤### %¤¤$£$%£@**&%%§&«~»~«~~«$£%%$§£&%¤&£%$%% ###¤@$*-~,
¨,~:$†%*@¶ *$&%%&£$¤ ¶@*%†$:~,¨
¨:«*=¤£¶## ##¶£¤=*«:¨
.,-=*¤#£## forests around my childhood home. thick ##£#¤*=-,.
.¨,.:\/=£¤ pine arcades that were planted and ¤£=/\:.,¨.
.,~:†££¶¶# forgotten. wild boars roaming #¶¶££†:~,.
.,~^§£#### underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ####£§^~,.
,,~*%££@@# is dark and moist, the canopy having #@@££%*~,,
,.¨¨:=*$¤@ 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 ££^^†*^»:¨
,,»=†$§@## throw it away. ##@§$†=»,,
¨,.¨¨,=^^@ @^^=,¨¨.,¨
¨-~†%$&£## ##£&$%†~-¨
.....,^-%¤ ¤%-^,.....
.,¨,-«:*¤@ @¤*:«-,¨,.
,:-*%§&£## ##£&§%*-:,
,,~†^%££## ##££%^†~,,