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