..^^=£@@## ##@@£=^^..
..,,^=§§@@ @@§§=^,,..
,¨¨,^=*$¤£ £¤$*=^,¨¨,
.,¨¨.,:^*§ §*^:,.¨¨,.
¨¨...,::=* *=::,...¨¨
.¨.,,.,,†* 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. ###§£%\:.,
¨¨¨,/*$@## ##@$*/,¨¨¨
,¨¨.,=^@¤# #¤@^=,.¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨,;†¤¤ ¤¤†;,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,.,.,:;=£ £=;:,.,.,¨
.¨,¨,¨¨,=^ ^=,¨¨,¨,¨.
,¨¨,.,.^%£ £%^.,.,¨¨,