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