,,=;§%£### ###£%§;=,,
.¨.~»»»*£# #£*»»»~.¨.
¨--†%§¤&&& &&&¤§%†--¨
,¨,.-://$@ @$//:-.,¨,
,.~†%¤*¤#@ @#¤*¤%†~.,
¨¨¨,¨,~$†£ statuette £†$~,¨,¨¨¨
,:=\§&@@## ##@@&§\=:,
¨^~††&¤¤£# **%&$%%£££@@&$¤§-~--~=~=§%&$*§%%§$*%§%$@ #£¤¤&††~^¨
¨--/$£&### £*$&$*££* ###&£$/--¨
.~«*%%%¤&§ §&¤%%%*«~.
¨.»/%¤£### forests around my childhood home. thick ###£¤%/».¨
.¨.,..†%&& pine arcades that were planted and &&%†..,.¨.
¨~~†%§@@## forgotten. wild boars roaming ##@@§%†~~¨
,~=*%*¤£## underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ##£¤*%*=~,
¨,~^*$£#@# 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. ##@§£†\»~.
¨-~:†£$§¶# #¶§$£†:~-¨
¨^=:^&@### ###@&^:=^¨
,,.,,.-\£§ §£\-.,,.,,
.^~†^£@@@# #@@@£^†~^.
,~»/$£¤@@# #@@¤£$/»~,
,--†$%¤¶## ##¶¤%$†--,