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