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