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