.,..,**¤%£ £%¤**,..,.
,~~^$@@@## ##@@@$^~~,
¨,~†=$§@@# #@@§$=†~,¨
.^«=†%¤#@# #@#¤%†=«^.
,,~=*¤@¶## ##¶@¤*=~,,
¨:=†%@## 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 £#¤$$^\»^,
,~-/$**%¤# she is worried and wants me to #¤%**$/-~,
.,~^§=*%*& throw it away. &*%*=§^~,.
,,.~=^***@ @***^=~.,,
,~~;§£#@@# #@@#£§;~~,
,,=;%*£@@# #@@£*%;=,,
.,.,-,«$$# #$$«,-,.,.
¨-«:$£@### ###@£$:«-¨
.:»†%§§@@@ @@@§§%†»:.