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