.~«/=$£¶## ##¶£$=/«~.
¨,,,-%¤@¶@ @¶@¤%-,,,¨
¨.«†*@¤@## ##@¤@*†«.¨
,.¨¨.~=*@£ £@*=~.¨¨.,
.~-^%@¤### ###¤@%^-~.
.-==^&&@## 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 #@@@$$:»,,
.,¨¨¨==^$¶ to get up, still looking at the ¶$^==¨¨¨,.
¨.:-*/*@*@ direction of sound rather than at my @*@*/*-:.¨
,,.:-=$%&# hands, who are busy putting things in #&%$=-:.,,
¨.,,~~~=§£ my pockets. £§=~~~,,.¨
,,~~:%%£§£ £§£%%:~~,,
.^=~«†££¤¶ then i run east toward my home. ¶¤££†«~=^.
,^»:^%¤#@# #@#¤%^:»^,
¨,,.¨.~$@# = #@$~.¨.,,¨
,^»/*@§### ###§@*/»^,
,¨¨,=^§&## i am not followed, and slow down in the ##&§^=,¨¨,
¨^»\†¤#¤§& clearing where you at first can spot &§¤#¤†\»^¨
¨~~*=&¤¶@@ the house, not yet really in the @@¶¤&=*~~¨
,--\†$££## backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ##££$†\--,
.,~;%¤%#&# radio (now dented) but also a small #&#%¤%;~,.
.:»;^¤@@## clay figure i've never seen before. it ##@@¤^;»:.
.:~*%¤#### must have been laying in the wet dirt, ####¤%*~:.
,:~\$£&##@ and i must've picked it up with my @##&£$\~:,
.^~:*££### other belongings. ###££*:~^.
¨,~††$¤£## ##£¤$††~,¨
¨.~^=&@### it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ###@&=^~.¨
.~~^^&§@## on her stomach, feet in the air, ##@§&^^~~.
.,~\†*@### roughly seven centimeters long. it's ###@*†\~,.
¨¨.¨.,††§# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #§††,.¨.¨¨
¨,~\%*@£## ##£@*%\~,¨
.¨¨.¨..»$¤ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ¤$»..¨.¨¨.
¨,=††$¤@@# particle board for it to dry on, but #@@¤$††=,¨
,^~:%§¤### she is worried and wants me to ###¤§%:~^,
¨.»†%§£@## throw it away. ##@£§%†».¨
,^»†$§§@## ##@§§$†»^,
.-~*%§¤&@# #@&¤§%*~-.
,,,^,/%@§§ §§@%/,^,,,
..-*%%§@## ##@§%%*-..
¨:»\$$£¤%# #%¤£$$\»:¨
,..~/††@@£ £@@††/~..,