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