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