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