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