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