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