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