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