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