.-/*£#@@## ##@@#£*/-.
,,,¨.,~†*& &*†~,.¨,,,
,-»;=$&¶## ##¶&$=;»-,
¨¨.,.~,»=£ £=»,~.,.¨¨
,^=*†### ####&†*=^,
,.~*$%£#@# statuette #@#£%$*~.,
¨~~;*§§§## ##§§§*;~~¨
,,«†%¤@¶## £*$%&&$£&¤*§¤&%$~=~~=«~-£%$@*$&&*%£@@¤%% ##¶@¤%†«,,
¨,.¨.:;%@§ %&%%£$%£* §@%;:.¨.,¨
¨,»;*@&@## ##@&@*;»,¨
,-«*†$£@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@£$†*«-,
.,.~.«†$@£ pine arcades that were planted and £@$†«.~.,.
.....:\@£¶ 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. ##¶&*§/»^¨
..=†$$@# #@#&$$†=..
.~~;%&§@## ##@§&%;~~.
.¨,~.=/@§# #§@/=.~,¨.
.^==$%&£## ##£&%$==^.
,.¨^«~;%^# #^%;~«^¨.,
,-:^*#@### ###@#*^:-,