,.»^$¤§### ###§¤$^».,
¨,.«=†^\=§ §=\^†=«.,¨
.,,,,«†££@ @££†«,,,,.
,:«†§*£#@# #@#£*§†«:,
¨...¨.-»*£ £*»-.¨...¨
¨¨,.,-«†%@ 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 ##¶§%$:~^,
.~»;=*¤@## she is worried and wants me to ##@¤*=;»~.
,,»:§%#£@# throw it away. #@£#%§:»,,
,,«^§@@@## ##@@@§^«,,
.-«\%%#@@# #@@#%%\«-.
,,~:%$#### ####$%:~,,
¨:=^*$&¶## ##¶&$*^=:¨
.,»^%¶## ##¶#&%^»,.
,-«*†££### ###££†*«-,