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