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