.~-;:†/†=# #=†/†:;-~.
.¨..^-:††£ £††:-^..¨.
.:«^=%@@## ##@@%=^«:.
,~=:£@£### ###£@£:=~,
¨,=^*£§@## ##@§£*^=,¨
.-=%££#@## 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 ¶¤£@*~--¨¨
¨¨¨.»=@$@£ she is worried and wants me to £@$@=».¨¨¨
,:«;^$$§§@ throw it away. @§§$$^;«:,
.,,,,:»^¤& &¤^»:,,,,.
.,~^$¤#### ####¤$^~,.
..-/%$@### ###@$%/-..
¨~~\=§@@## ##@@§=\~~¨
..-**@§@## ##@§@**-..
..=/%&#@## ##@#&%/=..