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