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