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