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