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