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