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