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