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