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