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