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