.,-;§§£#£@ @£#£§§;-,.
,¨...¨~$$# #$$~¨...¨,
,.,-^-*@@# #@@*-^-,.,
¨,¨.«%†*¤# #¤*†%«.¨,¨
.^=**£#¶## ##¶#£**=^.
,.«†*$¤@@# statuette #@@¤$*†«.,
¨^»;†£&£@@ @@£&£†;»^¨
.-~/^¤#### ¤*$$@£$£¤£%£*££@~~»-~~-«$*£$£*§@&$%&$£$$ ####¤^/~-.
¨,,^~/§*&# @£££¤@£§& #&*§/~^,,¨
.~~\$§¤¶## ##¶¤§$\~~.
.~~:†*¤@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@¤*†:~~.
,..,¨,-\%¤ pine arcades that were planted and ¤%\-,¨,..,
¨¨..-.-%§# forgotten. wild boars roaming #§%-.-..¨¨
¨-«:=$@#@# 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. ##@@&$:~..
,.,.,,«*¤@ @¤*«,,.,.,
,~-*%%&@## ##@&%%*-~,
.^=/$&§£## ##£§&$/=^.
¨..:,/%*## ##*%/,:..¨
¨,,.,,~*@§ §@*~,,.,,¨
¨.,,«-«$££ ££$«-«,,.¨