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