.~~/†%¤### ###¤%†/~~.
¨¨¨,»=*=&# #&=*=»,¨¨¨
.:-†%£@@@# #@@@£%†-:.
.:»\†††$#£ £#$†††\»:.
,:~=%$£@## ##@£$%=~:,
.,~\*¤£@## 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 ##$\,,,,.¨
¨,.,.,~/=# other belongings. #=/~,.,.,¨
¨:=:=@#@## ##@#@=:=:¨
.^-*%££@## it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ##@££%*-^.
¨^-/§§£¶## on her stomach, feet in the air, ##¶£§§/-^¨
.~=\*§¤### roughly seven centimeters long. it's ###¤§*\=~.
¨,~;†§@#&@ freshly made, not yet completely dried. @&#@§†;~,¨
.,~=§@¤£#@ @#£¤@§=~,.
.^^-~†**@# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #@**†~-^^.
¨^-\^£@£@@ particle board for it to dry on, but @@£@£^\-^¨
,.¨,.~^£## she is worried and wants me to ##£^~.,¨.,
.:~=§%@£## throw it away. ##£@%§=~:.
,.»/*£§### ###§£*/».,
,^~††%@### ###@%††~^,
¨¨¨¨-»:§#¶ ¶#§:»-¨¨¨¨
,:=~-%%£¤# #¤£%%-~=:,
,~«;^@§### ###§@^;«~,
,.¨,.\$@## ##@$\.,¨.,