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