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