¨,-:£§£### ###£§£:-,¨
.,«\^%&@@# #@@&%^\«,.
¨~~*^£¤@## ##@¤£^*~~¨
¨¨¨..:-/§¤ ¤§/-:..¨¨¨
¨,¨,.~*\§§ §§\*~.,¨,¨
,~«:$&¤¶## statuette ##¶¤&$:«~,
¨.~:$$&£## ##£&$$:~.¨
¨,-\%*#¶## ¤@$¤%%££$£%§@¤§%»~»~=-»=*%§¤§¤%§&@$$&&*£ ##¶#*%\-,¨
..-\†*##@# $&£@£%§*$ #@##*†\-..
.:»=%@## ##@#&%=»:.
¨,¨,~=%££@ forests around my childhood home. thick @££%=~,¨,¨
¨¨¨....=*& pine arcades that were planted and &*=....¨¨¨
¨,,,~-»*¤# forgotten. wild boars roaming #¤*»-~,,,¨
.^~^%££@@# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #@@££%^~^.
.-»;§### is dark and moist, the canopy having ####&§;»-.
¨.«*†$&¶## already soaked up all the sun. ##¶&$†*«.¨
.,.,¨~*^*@ @*^*~¨,.,.
.,.,,=$¤&& there's a river passing by, from east &&¤$=,,.,.
,~=/§$¤£## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##£¤$§/=~,
.,.,-§*§§# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #§§*§-,.,.
¨,.~»~$=*§ where the pine hands start to let §*=$~»~.,¨
.¨,,^..^*£ through light, horsemint on the rocky £*^..^,,¨.
¨~.~~††£@# river bed. #@£††~~.~¨
,¨.::/%@£@ @£@%/::.¨,
.,»^%^§$@# \ #@$§^%^»,.
.~»=^&¤%@£ £@%¤&^=»~.
.¨.¨^-*££# the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #££*-^¨.¨.
.,~/%@£### they had been a swampworld with sylvan ###£@%/~,.
.,,,.:^^%¶ water, stone rings and floating moss. ¶%^^:.,,,.
.,.~\/$*%@ you could've found me wallowing around @%*$/\~.,.
,,=***£@#@ on the southern shores until i got @#@£***=,,
¨:~\%§£### bitten. ###£§%\~:¨
,--=†¤#### ####¤†=--,
¨:»†=*@### but now i'm further back, on solid ###@*=†»:¨
¨.,,,,^\%@ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an @%\^,,,,.¨
,^-†%$£& orange tin radio and a translucent #&&£$%†-^,
..,¨.~=%£# umbrella which i'm sitting on. #£%=~.¨,..
.,~:%%¤@## ##@¤%%:~,.
,,,^«~*£%¶ : ¶%£*~«^,,,
¨~=/$@¤@## ##@¤@$/=~¨
¨,»=*&@£&@ somethings moving in the grass. it's @&£@&*=»,¨
..¨^~†*%¤& invisible to my eyes but i can feel &¤%*†~^¨..
¨^=^*@§¶@# through the ground just how large it is. #@¶§@*^=^¨
.,,..,†§¤# #¤§†,..,,.
,--\%$£@@# the soil is muddy. i slip when trying #@@£$%\--,
.,,.¨.,†=§ to get up, still looking at the §=†,.¨.,,.
,,»\$$#£@# direction of sound rather than at my #@£#$$\»,,
.^-=$£@### hands, who are busy putting things in ###@£$=-^.
,:~*%@£¶£@ 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. ##£§*%^~~¨
¨.~*%¤&£## ##£&¤%*~.¨
.~«/%%#### ####%%/«~.
..~;$$¤@## ##@¤$$;~..
,:~;^¤¶@## ##@¶¤^;~:,
¨-«;$£#### ####£$;«-¨
.,»;*%¤@@£ £@@¤%*;»,.