,,=/*&@£@# #@£@&*/=,,
,-»\£&#@## ##@#&£\»-,
,¨..:=:*@@ @@*:=:..¨,
¨:~;†$¤£#@ @#£¤$†;~:¨
,:»/*$@@## ##@@$*/»:,
^«**§&@### 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 &$^=.¨,.,.
,:~=†%@¶@# particle board for it to dry on, but #@¶@%†=~:,
..=†%%#### she is worried and wants me to ####%%†=..
¨,~:%%@@## throw it away. ##@@%%:~,¨
¨,===¤¤¶¶# #¶¶¤¤===,¨
¨,»\$$@@@# #@@@$$\»,¨
,~~*$%¤@## ##@¤%$*~~,
..¨.^~$*$# #$*$~^.¨..
¨,.«~»^@@@ @@@^»~«.,¨
.,~/†§&£@# #@£&§†/~,.