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