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