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