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