,^~=†*&@## ##@&*†=~^,
,:~\^%£@## ##@£%^\~:,
.~~*%@§&£@ @£&§@%*~~.
.^=;=§#### ####§=;=^.
.:»*%§#@## ##@#§%*»:.
.~~*=$§§@¤ statuette ¤@§§$=*~~.
¨¨,¨.^=§@@ @@§=^.¨,¨¨
,¨.¨.:=%§¤ £&§§§$£¤&@%$£¤§$«=~-~~~~@$§$§%%@¤*$£**¤§ ¤§%=:.¨.¨,
,~«/*%¤£## @*%£%$£&£ ##£¤%*/«~,
¨,~/%@#¶## ##¶#@%/~,¨
¨..~^,\*#§ forests around my childhood home. thick §#*\,^~..¨
¨,,¨¨~/¤&¶ pine arcades that were planted and ¶&¤/~¨¨,,¨
.:~/%%#### forgotten. wild boars roaming ####%%/~:.
¨-=:%&#§#@ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @#§#&%:=-¨
¨^~»~^%§@@ is dark and moist, the canopy having @@§%^~»~^¨
..-.--=$@§ 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. ###£$^^~..
.¨¨,.*=*@§ §@*=*.,¨¨.
.,»\$£§¶## ##¶§£$\»,.
.,.«-†^@$£ £$@^†-«.,.
¨.~:*¤§£@# #@£§¤*:~.¨
¨,«/§%#¤@@ @@¤#%§/«,¨
,~~**%&¶## ##¶&%**~~,