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