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