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