,~~=$*&¤## ##¤&*$=~~,
,,»*†*§£@£ £@£§*†*»,,
,.-;$$#### ####$$;-.,
,:~/†$§£## ##£§$†/~:,
,.¨¨~\$&£¤ ¤£&$\~¨¨.,
¨..¨~»†=## statuette ##=†»~¨..¨
¨,,,-;††$# #$††;-,,,¨
¨.-††££¶## £&*$££$*&@¤$¤£££~«~=-~=~&%*%%£@%¤%$¤$¤@¤ ##¶££††-.¨
..,..,^*#@ ¤$%$$%§&& @#*^,..,..
.,~:†£&### ###&£†:~,.
..¨.,^*¤&& forests around my childhood home. thick &&¤*^,.¨..
,,¨¨»~^£§# pine arcades that were planted and #§£^~»¨¨,,
,^~^=%&£## forgotten. wild boars roaming ##£&%=^~^,
¨,,¨»«*:=# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #=:*«»¨,,¨
¨:-\%@&#@# is dark and moist, the canopy having #@#&@%\-:¨
¨,-^*§§### already soaked up all the sun. ###§§*^-,¨
.-»*%£#### ####£%*»-.
,.«/$¤¤¶## there's a river passing by, from east ##¶¤¤$/«.,
¨,..,»^*£# to west, getting broader and deeper and #£*^»,..,¨
,...,~»^$@ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just @$^»~,...,
.-=^$¤#### where the pine hands start to let ####¤$^=-.
,.-/§%¤### through light, horsemint on the rocky ###¤%§/-.,
,.,~~†*$%§ river bed. §%$*†~~,.,
.^~^§$#### ####$§^~^.
..»*§££@@# : #@@££§*»..
¨.=:*$#### ####$*:=.¨
¨~-†*&@@## the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ##@@&*†-~¨
¨~»=†%&@## they had been a swampworld with sylvan ##@&%†=»~¨
.,¨¨.~$£$@ water, stone rings and floating moss. @$£$~.¨¨,.
¨,~**§£¶@# you could've found me wallowing around #@¶£§**~,¨
..¨,¨,~*$# on the southern shores until i got #$*~,¨,¨..
¨¨.¨,^/@$@ bitten. @$@/^,¨.¨¨
,,~†$&#¶@# #@¶#&$†~,,
¨.~/**¤@@# but now i'm further back, on solid #@@¤**/~.¨
¨^»^%&@¶## ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ##¶@&%^»^¨
,:=;†*££## orange tin radio and a translucent ##££*†;=:,
¨.»;**&¶## umbrella which i'm sitting on. ##¶&**;».¨
,...,\†$@# #@$†\,...,
.^»*^$$§@@ : @@§$$^*»^.
..¨¨..^^%# #%^^..¨¨..
¨,..//%§£# somethings moving in the grass. it's #£§%//..,¨
,¨¨,,«/@£# invisible to my eyes but i can feel #£@/«,,¨¨,
.~~=$£#@¶£ through the ground just how large it is. £¶@#£$=~~.
.,.,.^/§%¶ ¶%§/^.,.,.
¨,»:%@#£## the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ##£#@%:»,¨
,¨.¨,.^§$¤ to get up, still looking at the ¤$§^.,¨.¨,
¨,.:»--;@@ direction of sound rather than at my @@;--»:.,¨
..¨,¨,»*$# hands, who are busy putting things in #$*»,¨,¨..
.,~†$&@£## my pockets. ##£@&$†~,.
,,»/=£§¶## ##¶§£=/»,,
,,«:///%%£ then i run east toward my home. £%%///:«,,
.,~:†§#### ####§†:~,.
..,.--*£#@ † @#£*--.,..
¨.=\§&&@## ##@&&§\=.¨
¨,~;^&£@## i am not followed, and slow down in the ##@£&^;~,¨
¨:-:=$§@## clearing where you at first can spot ##@§$=:-:¨
¨,«:†$£@@# the house, not yet really in the #@@£$†:«,¨
,-==*§#£@# backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my #@£#§*==-,
¨,.^~%%§&# radio (now dented) but also a small #&§%%~^.,¨
.,«\$#£@## clay figure i've never seen before. it ##@£#$\«,.
¨^«:^£&#@# must have been laying in the wet dirt, #@#&£^:«^¨
...¨^»†#¤# and i must've picked it up with my #¤#†»^¨...
,,=††¤§@## other belongings. ##@§¤††=,,
,-=:†¤#@## ##@#¤†:=-,
.~-\§$#£@# it's a statuette of a girl laying naked #@£#$§\-~.
,¨¨¨«~=£## on her stomach, feet in the air, ##£=~«¨¨¨,
¨,»==%@£¶@ roughly seven centimeters long. it's @¶£@%==»,¨
¨-~†%@£@## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##@£@%†~-¨
,¨,,-***&# #&***-,,¨,
¨¨¨¨,,.«*& my mom is here now. i ask her for some &*«.,,¨¨¨¨
,~~\%&§#@# particle board for it to dry on, but #@#§&%\~~,
,,.«~;%£@¶ she is worried and wants me to ¶@£%;~«.,,
.,~/†$§@## throw it away. ##@§$†/~,.
¨..,=*†%&# #&%†*=,..¨
¨-~†%§@@## ##@@§%†~-¨
.,-/$$&### ###&$$/-,.
,,»=§$£### ###£$§=»,,
¨,,-,~†%%@ @%%†~,-,,¨
.¨.:~«*¤£@ @£¤*«~:.¨.