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