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