.¨.--*%¤@# #@¤%*--.¨.
.,..~»*%#£ £#%*»~..,.
¨,.-~^§&£# #£&§^~-.,¨
¨,,~†§£#@# #@#£§†~,,¨
,--=^&¶### ###¶&^=--,
..,=†%&¶## 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 ####&$†»:,
,¨:~*=@@@# she is worried and wants me to #@@@=*~:¨,
,.¨.-;%£@@ throw it away. @@£%;-.¨.,
.¨¨¨:»\=#¶ ¶#=\»:¨¨¨.
,..-«\$§## ##§$\«-..,
..:~=%£### ###£%=~:..
,:=\%§@### ###@§%\=:,
,,^-††&£## ##£&††-^,,
¨¨,:=^*&@@ @@&*^=:,¨¨