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