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