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