,~=*£@@@## ##@@@£*=~,
,,^=†§&@## ##@&§†=^,,
.,,^~;§£## ##£§;~^,,.
,¨.,~-†%§# #§%†-~,.¨,
..,.,~~†@# #@†~~,.,..
..,.:»:$&¶ statuette ¶&$:»:.,..
..¨,»/%&¶@ @¶&%/»,¨..
¨.^-\%##@# §$%@£&££%$$$$$%$»««~=-~~%§£$$@£§££$££%$§ #@##%\-^.¨
.,-/$#@### $£¤*§@$£% ###@#$/-,.
.¨.-:$#### ####$:-.¨.
,..~«=%@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@%=«~..,
¨¨..^-:$¤¶ 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. ###¶#%/=,,
¨.:»*$§£## ##£§$*»:.¨
¨,..=:§£@@ @@£§:=..,¨
.,¨.^«\%£¶ ¶£%\«^.¨,.
,,,,.^»=£@ @£=»^.,,,,
....,«:$@¶ ¶@$:«,....
...~-^&¤¶# #¶¤&^-~...