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