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