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