.,-:%$&@## ##@&$%:-,.
,.-^*@@§## ##§@@*^-.,
.,=*§*&¶@# #@¶&*§*=,.
¨:~=*$#£## ##£#$*=~:¨
,,.=~\%§§# #§§%\~=.,,
,^-;%&£@## 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 ##¶@§$;-~,
.,«*^¤@£#& on her stomach, feet in the air, &#£@¤^*«,.
,.-^%¤#¶## roughly seven centimeters long. it's ##¶#¤%^-.,
:«==@&¶### freshly made, not yet completely dried. ###¶&@==«:
.,~=*£@@## ##@@£*=~,.
.,=*=@##¶# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #¶##@=*=,.
,~«\§%§£## particle board for it to dry on, but ##£§%§\«~,
,¨¨,,^~%=£ she is worried and wants me to £=%~^,,¨¨,
.:=††¤#¶@# throw it away. #@¶#¤††=:.
..^~~^&@¤# #¤@&^~~^..
¨^»;*$£@## ##@£$*;»^¨
,~-;*&¤¤#@ @#¤¤&*;-~,
¨-»=*%¤¶#@ @#¶¤%*=»-¨
,,=†§*%#@@ @@#%*§†=,,
.--/†$£@@# #@@£$†/--.