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