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