.,«†=@§### ###§@=†«,.
,,-†%¤#£## ##£#¤%†-,,
,^~=%@¤@## ##@¤@%=~^,
..¨,¨¨~††& &††~¨¨,¨..
¨~»-:^\*£¶ ¶£*\^:-»~¨
¨,»/^%#¶@# 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 ##@§$*†~,,
.-~/%%¤#@¶ she is worried and wants me to ¶@#¤%%/~-.
..»==&¤@## throw it away. ##@¤&==»..
¨:~;*£#### ####£*;~:¨
¨¨.,^~$@#@ @#@$~^,.¨¨
.,~\=*§@## ##@§*=\~,.
.~=;%*£### ###£*%;=~.
¨.,.^~**&@ @&**~^.,.¨
.,»*††%£@¶ ¶@£%††*»,.