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