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