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