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