.--\*%§¶## ##¶§%*\--.
.,:~†%££¶# #¶££%†~:,.
..=;†%#@## ##@#%†;=..
,..~†§%##@ @##%§†~..,
¨~«^%%@@## ##@@%%^«~¨
,¨,=;$$¤@# statuette #@¤$$;=,¨,
,^«*$%¤#@# #@#¤%$*«^,
.,~~=*$£@@ &$%@§$$@%&§@%££%~~«=~«»=&%$@£%*$%$$§§%@@ @@£$*=~~,.
.,-=†%#@@# £*&%$$&%£ #@@#%†=-,.
,.~»=^&¤#@ @#¤&^=»~.,
,.-\^§&@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@&§^\-.,
¨¨-~†=%¤## pine arcades that were planted and ##¤%=†~-¨¨
,,~;%&#### forgotten. wild boars roaming ####&%;~,,
,,.~=†¤§#@ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @#§¤†=~.,,
¨~~*=$££@# is dark and moist, the canopy having #@££$=*~~¨
..-=;§§### already soaked up all the sun. ###§§;=-..
¨^~^†¤&### ###&¤†^~^¨
.¨,«/†%&¶# there's a river passing by, from east #¶&%†/«,¨.
,~~^*%¤@## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##@¤%*^~~,
¨¨:-:*£¤£# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #£¤£*:-:¨¨
.,~:%@£### where the pine hands start to let ###£@%:~,.
.,~«;%¤### through light, horsemint on the rocky ###¤%;«~,.
¨,~/§%££## river bed. ##££%§/~,¨
¨¨-~;*§¤@# #@¤§*;~-¨¨
.^-/§$#¶## * ##¶#$§/-^.
,,-«:^@@## ##@@^:«-,,
,,-/*§§### the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ###§§*/-,,
,,^=/$$#£# 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. ##@#£*;=^¨
...=\§§§£@ @£§§§\=...
.--^*$¤#@# #@#¤$*^--.
.,-~^$£#¶# #¶#£$^~-,.
.-«^%*£@## ##@£*%^«-.
..,»*%§§@@ @@§§%*»,..
¨~~†§%@#@# #@#@%§†~~¨