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