,~:,~~%¤£# #£¤%~~,:~,
,:~†§$@@@# #@@@$§†~:,
,,-~~\*$@@ @@$*\~~-,,
¨,«:^*#¶## ##¶#*^:«,¨
.,~:§%##@# #@##%§:~,.
.,~†§@@@## 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 @£==~,-¨..
.~-\*££$#§ she is worried and wants me to §#$££*\-~.
,,~**$¤£@# throw it away. #@£¤$**~,,
,,,,..,-§& &§-,..,,,,
¨-~\%£@### ###@£%\~-¨
¨~~\§§#@#@ @#@#§§\~~¨
.,~»«;%@££ ££@%;«»~,.
¨^~/*££@## ##@££*/~^¨
¨¨.:*==§#@ @#§==*:.¨¨