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