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