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