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