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