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