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