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