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