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