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