..¨.¨»§@£@ @£@§»¨.¨..
¨.~:^£#### ####£^:~.¨
,¨,¨.~*¤@& &@¤*~.¨,¨,
,,...:\¤§£ £§¤\:...,,
,:=*$£&@## ##@&£$*=:,
..¨..:\/$£ statuette £$/\:..¨..
¨,,¨~*\*@§ §@*\*~¨,,¨
.~^*$§¶### %*£$%£&&££*£%*$$«~~==~«=££%@%£££§%$%$@@% ###¶§$*^~.
,,.,...»§¤ §£%£*¤£$£ ¤§»...,.,,
,.¨^~=¤%#£ £#%¤=~^¨.,
,^~=†$§£## forests around my childhood home. thick ##£§$†=~^,
,:«;$&@@## pine arcades that were planted and ##@@&$;«:,
,.=:$&*$§¤ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¤§$*&$:=.,
¨.~/^%£#¶@ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @¶#£%^/~.¨
.,~†§¤§### is dark and moist, the canopy having ###§¤§†~,.
...,¨.~†%§ already soaked up all the sun. §%†~.¨,...
¨^«=*§¤@@# #@@¤§*=«^¨
.¨,¨«^^@£@ there's a river passing by, from east @£@^^«¨,¨.
,,,,,»^£@@ to west, getting broader and deeper and @@£^»,,,,,
....,:/*¤¶ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¶¤*/:,....
.,¨,,,^$¤# where the pine hands start to let #¤$^,,,¨,.
,.=^§@¤¶## through light, horsemint on the rocky ##¶¤@§^=.,
,.,:*†=^^£ river bed. £^^=†*:,.,
..»:*¤££@# #@££¤*:»..
,~:$$@#@## * ##@#@$$:~,
..~=%§## ###&§%=~..
¨,«;%*£@@# the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #@@£*%;«,¨
¨,~†*¤&@## they had been a swampworld with sylvan ##@&¤*†~,¨
¨.-/§*#@## water, stone rings and floating moss. ##@#*§/-.¨
¨,«^^^$%$# you could've found me wallowing around #$%$^^^«,¨
,:-==¤&¤#£ on the southern shores until i got £#¤&¤==-:,
¨~»~«=:;%@ bitten. @%;:=«~»~¨
¨¨¨.¨~;* #&*;~¨.¨¨¨
.,==†£&@## but now i'm further back, on solid ##@&£†==,.
,^«†%†§@££ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ££@§†%†«^,
.^-=§*§#@# orange tin radio and a translucent #@#§*§=-^.
.,»/^£§$%@ umbrella which i'm sitting on. @%$§£^/»,.
.-~;*%£¶## ##¶£%*;~-.
¨¨,,^:/^%§ * §%^/:^,,¨¨
¨^»†%£@@¶@ @¶@@£%†»^¨
¨,~^*¤§@## somethings moving in the grass. it's ##@§¤*^~,¨
,¨.,¨:~^¤£ invisible to my eyes but i can feel £¤^~:¨,.¨,
,.~*§@§@#@ through the ground just how large it is. @#@§@§*~.,
.¨^:=*¤££# #££¤*=:^¨.
.,«/*%@### the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ###@%*/«,.
.,»«=$¤¤@¶ to get up, still looking at the ¶@¤¤$=«»,.
.,~^=%##@# direction of sound rather than at my #@##%=^~,.
.,«/$$¤### 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. ##¶§%*†~:,
¨--†*&$££# #££$&*†--¨
..-;%¤¤£## ##£¤¤%;-..
¨.=†$%@£@@ @@£@%$†=.¨
.^~/$*§@## ##@§*$/~^.
.,,^,«~~%& &%~~«,^,,.
,^~/$&@### ###@&$/~^,