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