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