,¨-\$&¤### ###¤&$\-¨,
,¨.~/*$#@# #@#$*/~.¨,
.¨..»\%&&# #&&%\»..¨.
,...¨==†££ ££†==¨...,
¨,,¨=^=£#@ @#£=^=¨,,¨
,,,-^$£@@# 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 #¶#$==-,.¨
,¨~=†%§£@# particle board for it to dry on, but #@£§%†=~¨,
.=\§*¤#@## she is worried and wants me to ##@#¤*§\=.
.¨-*†%§### throw it away. ###§%†*-¨.
..¨-†$£¤#@ @#¤£$†-¨..
¨.,,-\=¤&# #&¤=\-,,.¨
¨.¨..=/*@& &@*/=..¨.¨
.,,,«^%$@£ £@$%^«,,,.
.¨,~/=&§#@ @#§&=/~,¨.
..~=$%&¶## ##¶&%$=~..