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