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