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