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