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