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