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