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