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