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