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