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