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