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