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