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