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