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