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