,.«:^@## ###&@^:«.,
.,~«^*%£@# #@£%*^«~,.
.,..»**£&@ @&£**»..,.
¨.,.:«=$$@ @$$=«:.,.¨
..¨:=†^£§@ @§£^†=:¨..
¨¨,«/=%§## 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 #@$%\~^¨,.
..^«††£¤@# on her stomach, feet in the air, #@¤£††«^..
.-~=%@¤¶## roughly seven centimeters long. it's ##¶¤@%=~-.
.¨,~\*@££# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #££@*\~,¨.
,¨¨~=:%%£@ @£%%:=~¨¨,
,¨¨¨.»;%¤¤ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ¤¤%;».¨¨¨,
.¨.:~^†%§# particle board for it to dry on, but #§%†^~:.¨.
¨¨~=†§&&£# she is worried and wants me to #£&&§†=~¨¨
.~~=%%#@## throw it away. ##@#%%=~~.
,.:~;$¤§@# #@§¤$;~:.,
.,,.=†§*@# #@*§†=.,,.
¨,..,=†^@@ @@^†=,..,¨
¨,,,«;§$@# #@$§;«,,,¨
,.~-†^@@@# #@@@^†-~.,
.,~/*%£@## ##@£%*/~,.