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