..,-/%£@@# #@@£%/-,..
.^»;^*#¶@# #@¶#*^;»^.
.,-«:^§§## ##§§^:«-,.
..,:~/^£@# #@£^/~:,..
.¨,¨^-/*§£ £§*/-^¨,¨.
,..¨¨-~;$* statuette *$;~-¨¨..,
.¨¨.-~\%¤# #¤%\~-.¨¨.
.¨,:-*$£@# ¤§$$$§¤§$§%£&&£*«»~-~-=-£££&£&*£%%@@&%%% #@£$*-:,¨.
.¨,~/%§@@# @%*%*£*§@ #@@§%/~,¨.
,:~;%$&@## ##@&$%;~:,
¨,--†$*&## forests around my childhood home. thick ##&*$†--,¨
.,¨,»^^¤@# pine arcades that were planted and #@¤^^»,¨,.
¨.¨.,~:%¤@ forgotten. wild boars roaming @¤%:~,.¨.¨
¨¨¨.¨-«^** underneath, sniffing at the ground. it **^«-¨.¨¨¨
.¨..-»^*£& is dark and moist, the canopy having &£*^»-..¨.
,.,--;*%£# already soaked up all the sun. #£%*;--,.,
¨¨-~†^$##@ @##$^†~-¨¨
.~~;†£§@@# there's a river passing by, from east #@@§£†;~~.
.¨,~;%£&@# to west, getting broader and deeper and #@&£%;~,¨.
..¨,»^*%#¶ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¶#%*^»,¨..
,,.¨^~/$$& 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 #£@$=/«-,.
,~~^^£@#@# on her stomach, feet in the air, #@#@£^^~~,
.,.-=^§##@ roughly seven centimeters long. it's @##§^=-.,.
.,.~«\^%£# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #£%^\«~.,.
,..¨^»††$& &$††»^¨..,
..¨¨.-~/†* my mom is here now. i ask her for some *†/~-.¨¨..
,,¨¨,-:§£¤ particle board for it to dry on, but ¤£§:-,¨¨,,
.¨.-~/=¤#@ she is worried and wants me to @#¤=/~-.¨.
¨.:=\%%£@# throw it away. #@£%%\=:.¨
¨^=†%£§### ###§£%†=^¨
¨.,-;$££@@ @@££$;-,.¨
¨..^»:%*§@ @§*%:»^..¨
¨.,.^«;$£@ @£$;«^.,.¨
.,¨,,,«=$@ @$=«,,,¨,.
,¨.¨,~\†*& &*†\~,¨.¨,