,¨.¨...~$& &$~...¨.¨,
.^=:%£&¶@# #@¶&£%:=^.
,-=/*£&*&# #&*&£*/=-,
¨^-*†@@#£# #£#@@†*-^¨
,~=:^=%%*# #*%%=^:=~,
¨^»/§$&@@# statuette #@@&$§/»^¨
,¨^--/%@£& &£@%/--^¨,
¨^»~»§$§¤@ £%§£§$$$@@&$$£$$»~~--~~»*£§$$%§%*@£$*@§% @¤§$§»~»^¨
.¨,,,.=/£& £$£$$%£@* &£/=.,,,¨.
.¨.,,~†*$& &$*†~,,.¨.
,,»/§$§££@ forests around my childhood home. thick @££§$§/»,,
.¨,¨«†££§¶ pine arcades that were planted and ¶§££†«¨,¨.
¨¨¨.~«§^@# forgotten. wild boars roaming #@^§«~.¨¨¨
.^~\†£@### underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ###@£†\~^.
¨:~~«†*££# is dark and moist, the canopy having #££*†«~~:¨
,^~††£#£## already soaked up all the sun. ##£#£††~^,
,-=†$@£### ###£@$†=-,
¨,~;†£@@## there's a river passing by, from east ##@@£†;~,¨
.^-^§$@£## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##£@$§^-^.
¨,»†*£#@## slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ##@#£*†»,¨
¨-~^^@&@#¶ where the pine hands start to let ¶#@&@^^~-¨
,..:.;%#@@ through light, horsemint on the rocky @@#%;.:..,
.,.,-†$£@@ river bed. @@£$†-,.,.
¨.»^$£§#@# #@#§£$^».¨
¨.=/%£#### / ####£%/=.¨
..»*%*#### ####*%*»..
,,.~^†^$§¤ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ¤§$^†^~.,,
,,~†%%*&## they had been a swampworld with sylvan ##&*%%†~,,
¨-«;*£@¶@# water, stone rings and floating moss. #@¶@£*;«-¨
,..,::%$#§ you could've found me wallowing around §#$%::,..,
.¨:«~†\%¤¤ on the southern shores until i got ¤¤%\†~«:¨.
¨..~-%%%§£ bitten. £§%%%-~..¨
.¨¨¨~=\&£¶ ¶£&\=~¨¨¨.
¨.»/*§£¶## but now i'm further back, on solid ##¶£§*/».¨
,,..~~=^§@ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an @§^=~~..,,
.,»;=§#### orange tin radio and a translucent ####§=;»,.
.¨¨.¨==#&@ umbrella which i'm sitting on. @&#==¨.¨¨.
.:»^*&¤@¶@ @¶@¤&*^»:.
¨-~\*£&¤&£ ^ £&¤&£*\~-¨
¨:~^^£$$£# #£$$£^^~:¨
¨^-/%%%&## 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. @¤*@^^~,¨.
¨¨.~==&%§# #§%&==~.¨¨
,,,¨,\%¤@# #@¤%\,¨,,,
,,=^%%§¶## ##¶§%%^=,,
¨,..,:^%#@ @#%^:,..,¨
,¨¨¨¨«^*¤# #¤*^«¨¨¨¨,
....¨-~=*£ £*=~-¨....