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