.~»**@¤@@# #@@¤@**»~.
¨,~*^£#### ####£^*~,¨
.^«/%¤@¶## ##¶@¤%/«^.
¨~-^%$@¶@¶ ¶@¶@$%^-~¨
,.=:†&#@## ##@#&†:=.,
.:»;§@@£#@ 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, &%$;*~-¨..
¨,,,:^^%&£ roughly seven centimeters long. it's £&%^^:,,,¨
,.,,.-§£## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##£§-.,,.,
.-»~«;@@#@ @#@@;«~»-.
.^~\^%%¤£# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #£¤%%^\~^.
¨.,.¨.,†^# particle board for it to dry on, but #^†,.¨.,.¨
,^«:%@£@## she is worried and wants me to ##@£@%:«^,
,~»/%§¤£¤# throw it away. #¤£¤§%/»~,
¨¨,.,,.»*@ @*».,,.,¨¨
¨,==§&@### ###@&§==,¨
.^=\*@@¶@# #@¶@@*\=^.
,.¨.=*§%@£ £@%§*=.¨.,
,:»;*%£#@£ £@#£%*;»:,
,,~:*$@§£# #£§@$*:~,,