.¨¨,.¨»=¤@ @¤=»¨.,¨¨.
,~-:§@¤££@ @££¤@§:-~,
,.~;%$¤### ###¤$%;~.,
¨:~^$¤£@£# #£@£¤$^~:¨
¨~=*†^£*#@ @#*£^†*=~¨
,.=:^$@£## statuette ##£@$^:=.,
,,--;*^=£@ @£=^*;--,,
¨.,~-^^$†¤ §$*$£§%%¤$&*&$$%«~»-~=«»%@$§¤$$&££@§$*£¤ ¤†$^^-~,.¨
.-=†^%*&¤§ $%**$$£$£ §¤&*%^†=-.
.¨¨.¨«»^@@ @@^»«¨.¨¨.
¨,«^†@££§# forests around my childhood home. thick #§££@†^«,¨
.:~:*£@£## pine arcades that were planted and ##£@£*:~:.
.,=/^££##£ forgotten. wild boars roaming £##££^/=,.
¨.-^†%## underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ###&%†^-.¨
.,¨,^*%$## is dark and moist, the canopy having ##$%*^,¨,.
,¨¨¨,,-†%# already soaked up all the sun. #%†-,,¨¨¨,
,¨¨¨~=%¤¤@ @¤¤%=~¨¨¨,
.-»:^$£@## there's a river passing by, from east ##@£$^:»-.
,,¨«^^†& to west, getting broader and deeper and #&&†^^«¨,,
¨¨..-§%%&& slower as it goes. equisetum grow just &&%%§-..¨¨
¨-«††§@@ where the pine hands start to let @@#&§††«-¨
¨,,««\%&&¶ through light, horsemint on the rocky ¶&&%\««,,¨
.-=;*%&¶## river bed. ##¶&%*;=-.
.^«/$§@@#@ @#@@§$/«^.
¨~=†§@@### † ###@@§†=~¨
.¨-==-*%@@ @@%*-==-¨.
.^»-=*\^*§ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight §*^\*=-»^.
,¨,,.=†@ they had been a swampworld with sylvan @#&†=.,,¨,
¨¨^~-^%^*# water, stone rings and floating moss. #*^%^-~^¨¨
.,»=§%£@ you could've found me wallowing around @#&£%§=»,.
¨~»*%¤## on the southern shores until i got ###&¤%*»~¨
¨-~\%¶## bitten. ##¶#&%\~-¨
,^~*%£¤@## ##@¤£%*~^,
.~:†%£@@## but now i'm further back, on solid ##@@£%†:~.
.¨,¨~:^$$@ 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. @£§~,..¨,¨
¨,«^%£@### ###@£%^«,¨
.^-*^¤£@@# #@@£¤^*-^.
.~-;**@#&§ §@**;-~.
..¨«†§§§## ##§§§†«¨..
--^†£### ###£#&†^--
.^«:**@@@@ @@@@**:«^.