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