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