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