,:~\*%£@@£ £@@£%*\~:,
¨--:*%@@## ##@@%*:--¨
¨:-;†&¤¶@@ @@¶¤&†;-:¨
,,¨~-^=¤#@ @#¤=^-~¨,,
.-«\§$@### ###@$§\«-.
..¨,¨¨-\&# 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 @$\,^.¨,¨,
¨:-††§@### she is worried and wants me to ###@§††-:¨
.~~/*†*§§# throw it away. #§§*†*/~~.
..,,»-\=£# #£=\-»,,..
.-«*§&¤@@# #@@¤&§*«-.
,^»;*$%§§# #§§%$*;»^,
.~»:%†§*¤@ @¤*§†%:»~.
.,«==$@@## ##@@$==«,.
¨,¨,,.==£§ §£==.,,¨,¨