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