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