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